


All's Fair in Love and War

by Anonymous



Category: Happy Tree Friends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Male Character, Blood and Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Angst, Family Drama, Flippy is the cinnamon roll who will fuck you up, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Plot Twists, Splendid and Splendont are twin brothers, Splendid just wants a nap, Splendont is a bastard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:27:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25094581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Splendid and Splendont's brotherly rivalry is anything but friendly. Tired of the constant bickering and ruthless fighting, Splendid seals a deal with Splendont: whoever is able to kill off Fliqpy permanently will be crowned the superior hero. Bets are placed on the twins by the public, and the two brothers get to scheming immediately.But when Splendid meets the true, docile personality of the infamous war veteran, the blue hero is smitten. Unfortunately, Splendid ends up growing close to Flippy under his civilian identity, and it's only a matter of time Flippy figures things out on his own.As Splendid does his best to figure out how to spare Flippy's life from Splendont without exposing himself, he ends up getting roped into solving the mystery of Splendont's unexplained hatred towards him, which only grows more complicated with each piece of the puzzle he manages to uncover.
Relationships: Flippy/Splendid (Happy Tree Friends), Splendid & Splendont (Happy Tree Friends)
Comments: 61
Kudos: 91
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Brother Dearest

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Writing a happy tree friends fanfic in 2020? It's more likely than you think.

“Hey dipshit, you missed a group." 

"I’m trying to concentrate!" Splendid flings the pillar he's holding over his shoulder, completely oblivious to the fleeing people he manages to crush with the giant marble pillar. 

"And those were all the survivors." Splendont takes a casual sip from his soda cup, levitating nonchalantly over the burning bank.

"Are you just gonna stay floating around being useless or what?" 

“Hey, I’m the one who managed to evacuate the city before you fucking trashed it while you tried to save a couple of hostages, who I might add are now burnt to a crisp. So I’d say my work here is done.”

“You’re the idiot who set the bank on fire! The only damage I caused was a direct result of your stupidity!”

“Like I said, my work here is done.” Splendont smirks and gives a two finger salute before turning his back to leave the area. 

Splendid can physically feel his blood boiling beneath his skin, and his normally arctic blue eyes are burning scarlet as he watches his redheaded twin fly off. Leaving Splendid with _his_ mess to clean up. Lowering himself to the ground, Splendid lets out a shriek in frustration and bashes his head into a lamp post, knocking over the steel pole with a loud snap.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Splendid rakes his hand through his disheveled hair and begins to take in deep breaths to calm himself. Looking around the destroyed city, Splendid listens intently to see if by some miracle, someone was left unharmed. A small whimper coming from under some debris catches Splendid’s attention. Walking over to the pile of debris, Splendid squats to look through a small opening, and he lets a small smile take over his features. 

“Hey there, Flaky,” whispers Splendid to the trembling young girl. “Are you injured?”

Flaky shakes her head, her hair clips rattling as she does so. Splendid can see tears streaming down her soot covered face, and he lets out another sigh before standing up to pick off the debris from her. With a single shove, Splendid manages to overturn the wall trapping Flaky, and he gently approaches her. He bends over and picks her up, and the child immediately clings to his jacket like her life depended on it. 

“Hey, it’s okay, everything’s over now.” Splendid pats Flaky’s back gingerly before he starts walking towards the edge of the city, towards the untouched suburb. 

“I-I wanna… go home…” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you there soon enough.” Splendid presses Flaky’s head against his chest as he passes by several bodies. He may be used to seeing so much death, but Flaky is still a child, not even into her teens yet. 

Arriving at the suburb, Splendid is immediately swarmed by reporters who had managed to escape the ensuing chaos in the city. His forgotten fury returns as he pushes through the microphones and flashing cameras, and he almost explodes when Splendont’s name is suddenly dropped in a question. The only thing keeping him composed is Flaky’s quivering body in his arms. Once he reaches her house, he drops her off at the entrance and gives her a pat on the head, mindful of all her sharp hair clips. 

He jumps into flight, not wanting to deal with any reporters right now, and he flies back to his home on the outskirts of town. Slamming open his door, Splendid groans as he flings off his mask and shoes. He slumps over to his bathroom and flicks on the lights, and he promptly lets out a tired sigh when he gets a good look at himself. 

He’s covered in scratches, his hair and skin are stained with soot, his clothes are singed from the flames of the bank fire, and the dark circles under his eyes are more visible than ever. 

Running a hand over his face, Splendid steps away from the mirror and turns on his shower. 

_Tomorrow is another day,_ he reminds himself. Yet deep down, Splendid knows that his daily routine of clashing with Splendont would only resume the second he woke up tomorrow. If only death wasn’t temporary, Splendid is sure he would have killed himself the moment this hell began. 

_The Next Day_

“Hey, Spence… Spence… Spencer!”

“Huh?” Splendid bolts up from his desk and looks around frantically. Oh yeah, he's at work. Reaching under his fake glasses to rub his bare eyes, Splendid looks up to see Sniffles giving him a look of disappointment. 

“How many hours of sleep did you get last night, Spencer?”

Fixing his glasses, Splendid internally curses himself for falling asleep at his desk. 

“I would have gotten more sleep if several people had emailed me their articles earlier instead of at one am for editing,” seethes Splendid through grit teeth. 

Sniffles holds up his hands in defense and takes a step back from the undercover hero. 

“I’m not in charge of their time management skills.”

“No, but Lumpy isn’t a much better boss for not enforcing the deadlines I keep submitting to him for article editing. I have my own shit to take care of, and none of you care enough to realize that!” 

“Dude, calm the fuck down.” Sniffles hushes Splendid, frantically looking around to make sure no one hears them. “Look, I can talk to Lumpy if you want, but ultimately none of us have any power here. If you’re so upset with how things work around here, I would suggest finding somewhere else to work.”

Sniffles’ final statement finally gets Splendid to shut his mouth, though his anger continues to boil in his chest. Seeing that he’s won the argument, Sniffles gives Splendid a pitiful look before turning around. 

“Are you available to attend the upcoming comic book convention?”

“That convention is during my day off, so no.” 

"Your loss." And with that, Sniffles leaves Splendid to be alone with his thoughts. 

Groaning, Splendid takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes before putting them back on and turning his attention back onto his laptop. He opens the Daily Acorn's front page, and he's immediately greeted by a photo of him carrying Flaky from the the other day. 

_God, I hate seeing my stupid face plastered everywhere._

Glancing at the time, Splendid closes his laptop and shoves it into his satchel. He clocks out for lunch, making damn well sure Lumpy knows he's going to take the entire hour to recompose himself. 

Once Splendid is outside, he takes in a deep breath to relax himself and pulls out his phone. His inbox is full of emails reminding him to attend the convention this weekend. Sighing, Splendid marks all these emails as read, mentally reminding himself to study his schedule for his planned appearance at the con, before checking his news feed. His face twists in disgust when he sees Splendont’s civilian name pop up, and it’s only out of morbid curiosity that Splendid clicks on the podcast for its title. 

_Splendid vs Splendont: Who’s body count is higher? A Statistical Discussion with Simon._

“This bitch…” mumbles Splendid to himself. 

He shoves his phone back into his satchel’s front pocket and smooths down his hair as he takes in a deep breath. Looks like he’s going to have to drown out all his problems with as many espresso shots his favorite cafe could legally put into his cappuccino.


	2. Disaster Con

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  _Unanswered questions  
>  only lead to truths spoken  
> in concealed riddles.  
> _   
> 

If there’s one person Splendid despised more than Splendont, it would have to be Flippy. Though for obviously different reasons. 

“Why is it that every single time I think I can finally relax, you always show up to ruin everything?” Splendid groans as he descends from the sky, an annoyed expression plastered on his face. 

“You're mistaken. I'm only doing what needs to be done; you on the other hand are the one who always ruins _my_ plans!” Flippy finishes decapitating Giggles before turning to face Splendid hovering above him. His golden eyes burn with a deranged fury, and the scowl on his face only amplifies just how furious the veteran is to see Splendid. 

Splendid runs a hand down his face, taking in a deep breath to compose himself before lowering to the ground. 

“Let’s just get this fucking over with. I have somewhere important to be right now, and you’re infringing on my time.” Splendid gets into a fighting stance, having dealt with Flippy enough times to know how to trick the bastard into an unfair fight. 

Flippy immediately charges Splendid with his signature Bowie knife, and the blue hero dodges the veteran’s swings with relative ease. When the opportunity is given, Splendid punches Flippy square in the face, sending him flying back into a window display. Shaking his hand, Splendid walks over towards the broken storefront to see if he managed to one-shot the menace. 

To his dismay, Flippy is still alive and furious as he stumbles to his feet. His nose is broken and bleeding profusely, yet Flippy doesn’t seem to care. 

“How the hell are you so resilient?”

“I was drafted into this war for a fucking reason, asshole.” Flippy smirks as he snaps the leg off a nearby metal clothes rack. 

Splendid lets out a sigh as Flippy comes at him with the metal pole, and he’s quick to grab the pole just as Flippy swings it at his face. Crushing the metal in his fist, Splendid yanks the pole from Flippy’s grasp and swiftly stabs it through the veteran’s chest with enough force to pin him into the ground. 

Flippy begins to choke on the blood entering his pierced lungs, and Splendid squats down to his eye level to give him a cocky grin. 

“Just face it, you’ll never win against me, Flip. Now if you’ll-”

Splendid is interrupted by a violent punch to the face, and the blue hero stumbles back in surprise. 

“I may not have won today,” chokes out Flippy, his teeth stained with blood as it continues to leak from his mouth. He smirks as he lifts up a small, black blade lined with the faintest amount of blood. “But I won’t stop until… I tear you to shreds.”

Splendid furrows his eyebrows in confusion at the sight of the knife until he suddenly feels something warm and wet running down his cheek. Hesitantly, Splendid gently touches the liquid, and he’s horrified to see it’s his own blood. 

“How the hell-”

“Looks… like you’re not so indestructible… anymore…” With one last gurgling gasp, Flippy takes his last breath before his entire body goes slack. The blade in his hand slips from his grasp and clatters to the floor with a dull echo. 

Splendid is left paralyzed from the veteran’s dying words, and it takes him a moment to get back to his senses. He steps over Flippy’s body and slowly picks up the small knife with a trembling hand. It’s nothing out of the ordinary at first glance, but when Splendid exits the building and enters the sunlight, the blade’s edge remains black. 

Obsidian.

It’s obsidian. No wonder it was able to break through Splendid’s skin. But where the hell did Flippy get a blade like this?

Splendid’s cell phone snaps him out of his thoughts, and he simply decides to melt down the blade with his laser vision to render it useless before picking up. 

“Hello?”

“Um… Mr. Splendid, it’s Cuddles, director of your merchandise panel. So, um, where are you right now? Your scheduled comic book signings started like five minutes ago, and people are starting to get _really_ impatient.”

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Splendid ruffles his hair before jumping into the air. 

“Sorry about that… Got caught up in something important. I’ll be there soon, don’t worry.”

“Alright, I’ll make sure to- HEY! YOU GET YOUR GRUBBY LITTLE HANDS AWAY FROM THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!!”

Splendid hangs up with an annoyed groan, and he quickly wipes off the blood staining his cheek before taking off. 

Splendid manages to arrive at the convention center within a few seconds, pulling out his VIP pass from under his shirt to be allowed inside. Once inside, he’s immediately swarmed by several members of his comic book board, and all of them are bombarding him with questions. 

“Alright, everyone shut up!” 

The crowd quickly goes quiet and allows Splendid to exit their sea of chaos as the clicking of heels approaches them. Petunia strides up to the blue hero with a stern expression, her ponytail swinging with each step, and her hand gripping tightly onto a clipboard. She stops in front of him and snaps her fingers, prompting someone to hand Splendid a water bottle and handkerchief. 

“You’re late, and you’re absolutely filthy.” 

“I can’t exactly control when Flippy decides to go on a rampage in town.” Splendid opens the water bottle and splashes some water onto the handkerchief. He does his best to wipe down his face as he follows Petunia to his panel. 

“I suppose not. But if I were you, I would have left him to be someone else’s problem.” She snatches the handkerchief away from Splendid just as they arrive at the curtain behind Splendid’s panel

“Please, there would have been more casualties if I’d left the lunatic to _him_.” Splendid and Petunia pass through the curtain just in time to witness Cuddles stabbing someone’s eyes out with a pen. “Holy hell-”

“Alright!” Petunia produces a megaphone out of nowhere, and everyone covers their ears from her sudden shout, forcing the chaos to subside. “Enough of you savages killing each other, Splendid is finally here. Since we’re running behind schedule, each of you has exactly thirty seconds to speak to Splendid while he signs all your comics or whatever you brought today. Once that’s done, we have our merchandise table to your right, and Cuddles will be in charge of taking your money.”

“Petunia, thirty seconds isn’t enough time-”

“We would have given them about 2 minutes had you arrived earlier,” mutters Petunia away from her megaphone. 

“Make it a minute at the very least. I don’t want to leave people disappointed.”

Petunia looks over at Splendid’s pleading face and takes in a sharp breath before letting out a sigh of defeat. 

“Alright, on Splendid’s word, you have a full minute to interact. Anymore time and I’ll personally throw you out of line.” Petunia retreats back into the curtain, leaving Splendid to take his seat at his table. 

Splendid quickly catches a glance at Cuddles, who is rocking back and forth in his seat with a traumatized look in his eyes. And it doesn’t help that the poor blonde is also splattered with blood. Splendid makes a mental note to compensate Cuddles for his troubles with a higher share of the merchandise sales once this whole mess is over. 

Fortunately, all of the signings proceed without any problem, though Splendid is a bit creeped out by a few of the things his fans want him to sign (mainly pieces of clothing he doesn’t need to know people wear). Once he’s done with that, Petunia drags the poor hero towards the convention center’s auditorium for their Q&A panel just as the tech squad finishes setting up their microphones. 

“Alright, for the next hour you and your comic book artists will be answering questions in regards to the next issue of your current series. Obvious you can’t give away any spoilers, and disregard any questions in regards to the rumor about a crossover with that stupid magical girl comic. We are not allowing such a thing to happen, but by keeping it ambiguous your comic stays on trending.” Petunia finishes scribbling on her clipboard and lets out a sigh as she waves her hands towards the stage. “Once the hour is up, you can leave if you wish. I’ll be sure to record all the sales numbers for you and distribute the new salaries for everyone.”

“Speaking of which, what percent of the money from comic book sales is currently going to my artist?”

“Um…” Petunia flips through the pages on her clipboard. “Currently your three artists and two writers are receiving a 2% cut from sales.”

“What happened to the 10% cut I implemented last time?”

“Splendid, you have five employees. _Five_ . Did you really think we could afford to give away 50% of the earnings from your comic books, which I might remind you are currently flunking outside of this stupid town, to _five people_?”

“It isn’t giving away money. These people need to get paid for their jobs, and 2% is way too low especially considering the current financial situation.” Splendid pinches the bridge of his nose as he takes in a deep breath, internally cursing Petunia. “Look, if you don’t want to do 10%, you can at the very least do 7%. These people need a living wage-”

“And so do we, Splendid. Most of the money from sales goes straight back into publication, and if you want to implement 7% to your employees, you’d be lucky to even be receiving 1% of total sales.”

“Petunia, I can manage on my own.”

_That’s a bloody lie, and I know it._

“Just promise me everyone gets the compensation they deserve for putting up with everything they do for me.”

Petunia looks like she wants to continue arguing, but a simple look from Splendid is enough for her to let out a groan. 

“Fine… In that case I suppose Cuddles should also be included for today.” 

“Thank you, Petunia.” Splendid gives her a bright smile, and she quickly ducks her flustered face away from him. Splendid watches her disappear backstage, and he can hear her cursing his good looks under her breath. 

“Splendid, we’re on in about a minute.” One of Splendid’s artists catches his attention from on stage.

Splendid’s smile immediately drops, and he runs a hand through his disheveled hair. He just needed to be here for another hour, and he could finally go home. Sulking his way on stage, Splendid takes the center seat and grabs the provided water bottle in front of him. 

The lights in the auditorium dim, leaving only Splendid and his panel illuminated by the overhead lights. 

“Alright everyone.” Petunia emerges from backstage with a microphone in hand, a ~~forced~~ friendly smile on her features. “I’ll be the host of today’s Q&A panel, so if you want to ask a question, simply come down here to the front so I can hand you the microphone. So, who wants to ask our lovely panel their first ques- Hey!”

The microphone is ripped out of Petunia’s hand, and Splendid nearly starts choking on his water when he sees who the perpetrator is. Slamming his water bottle down, Splendid’s expression immediately turns to one of annoyance as his redheaded twin steps into the spotlight. 

“I have a few questions, if that’s alright for everyone.” Splendont smirks as he watches everyone around him cower in their seats. Looking back up at Splendid, Splendont’s smirk only widens at how infuriated Splendid looks to see him. 

“What are you doing here, Splendont?” Splendid spits out his words through grit teeth, and his poor employees can only duck under their table for a false sense of security. 

“Oh nothing much besides selling cosplay items and whatever. You always seem to forget I’m the main provider of costumes and props for convention goers.”

“Excuse me,” interrupts Petunia. “But if you aren’t going to ask any questions, I’m going to have to ask you to-”

Without an ounce of hesitation, Splendont grabs Petunia by the front of her shirt and hurls her into a nearby wall. The sound of her skull cracking open earns a gasp from attendees, and Splendid shots up from his seat with fury. 

“That’s enough! I won’t allow anymore kills within my vicinity.”

“Oh, so now you’re worried about people dying within your vicinity. If I recall correctly, your latest body count was well within the hundreds, dear brother.” Splendont strides up to the stage, his gaze darkening as he stares at Splendid. “You may call me a monster, but at the very least I don’t kill any of the people I’m trying to save.”

“I would be more calculated in my ways if you didn’t force everything to be a fucking competition! I swear I spend more time beating your ass than the actual bad guy in most situations, which obviously leads to them getting away, and you further taunting me for being a failure!” Splendid steps over his panel and towards the edge of the stage, where he looks down at Splendont in disgrace. “Sure, I lose like my entire night’s worth of sleep because your stupid delays force me to stay behind most of the time to clean up everything, which in turn interferes with my personal life, but at least I don’t purposely kill people, unlike you.”

“Oh, so it’s getting fucking personal now, is it?”

“Things got personal the second you stepped foot on this fucking plant.” Splendid squats down to Splendont’s eyes level and gives him the dirtiest glare he can muster. “Now what the hell do you want?”

Splendont’s smirk returns as he turns away from Splendid and faces the audience. 

“I’m here to prove a point.” Splendont points an accusing finger at Splendid as he walks down the aisle of people. “Splendid has proven time and time again to be an incompetent, fruitless, sorry excuse for a hero. He has a higher kill rate than anyone else in this damn town, excluding a handful of other idiots, so why do you all continue to idolize such an obvious threat to your well being?”

"Are you seriously jealous about the fact people simply like me better?" 

"This isn't about jealousy," snaps back Splendont. "This is about the fact you don't deserve the respect and love you receive from these people. Tell me, anyone, do you really trust Splendid with your lives, let alone your safety?" 

Splendont shoves the microphone into a random person's face, almost breaking their jaw in the process. It's poor Lammy who has to speak up, and her voice trembles as she wipes her eyes.

"W-well… not really-"

"And why is that?" 

"I…" Lammy gulps as she clings to her pickle plush. "I-I would say… for those same reasons you mentioned?" 

"Precisely.” Splendont looks back at Splendid before gesturing to the entire audience. “None of these people feel safe around you, and I bet none of them can name a single redeeming feature about you that doesn’t involve your stupid personality.”

“I can.” 

Splendid and Splendont both look up to see Sniffles standing up from the back of the auditorium with Mole by his side. 

“And what the hell would that be, Mr. Know-it-All?”

“The fact that Splendid is the only person who is able to subdue Flippy between the two of you.” Sniffles starts walking towards the stage, Mole trailing behind him snapping pictures of random things and people. “According to my analysis of statistics available to the public, Flippy is single handedly the most dangerous person who lives in this town, causing more casualties than Splendid alone. While your statements about Splendid’s incompetence are technically true, he has proven time and time again that he can kill off a rogue Flippy with a 90% survival rate of those within Flippy’s vicinity. And using the local airport’s air traffic control tower and recognizing your distinct flight patterns, my data shows that every single time Flippy flips out, you flee the immediate area while Splendid arrives to deal with Flippy within an average of one minute.”

“Are you calling me a coward?”

“The only person calling you that is yourself.” Sniffles stops in front of the stage, and he forces Mole to face the correct direction for photos. 

“Please, I could take out Flippy faster than Splendid if I wanted to.”

“Then why don’t you, wimp?” Splendid jumps off stage and places himself between Sniffles and Splendont. 

Splendont stays quiet for a bit, his eyes studying Splendid intently, and after a thick silence, Splendont waves a hand in the air as if to clear the tension. 

“How’s about a deal?”

Splendid covers his face with his hands and lets out a loud groan. 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t you want to make a competition out of this?” Splendid proceeds to cross his arms over his chest, glaring at Splendont with his icy blue eyes. “What can you possibly make a deal out of in this situation?”

“Well…” Splendont starts slowly walking over towards Splendid, each step driving Splendid up a wall. “We all know death means nothing in this hell, yet there have been a handful of people who have succeeded in staying dead. Cub’s mother and Flaky’s parents are a great example of this. There’s clearly something out there in this world that can assure a permanent death to certain people, and I’m going to be the one to find it and use it against Flippy. That is, unless you’re able to do so before me, which is highly unlikely.”

Everyone is left stunned by Splendont’s words, and Splendid himself is left speechless. 

“I…” Splendid furrows his eyebrows as he thinks over the proposal. “So you want to see who is able to off Flippy once and for all?

“Exactly.”

“What’s on the line?”

“The title of being the superior hero in this damn place.” Splendont stops in front of Splendid and jabs a finger into his chest. “And the loser has to bite the dust and leave this damn place for good.”

Whispers amongst the audience cause Splendid to break eye contact with Splendont and glance around the auditorium. Everyone is staring at them, and Splendid can hear hush debates about whether or not Splendont’s proposal is even fair. Looking back at Splendont’s smug face, Splendid takes in a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. 

“Fine.” Splendid reluctantly sticks out his hand, and Splendont shakes it with an iron grip. 

“Then it’s settled.” Splendont turns away and starts heading out of the auditorium, but he pauses at the door. “By the way, you have a little something on your face there.”

Splendont scratches his cheek in the exact same place Splendid’s cut is, and the blue hero does his best to ignore his twin’s taunt. Once Splendont has vanished, the lights in the auditorium come back on, and a member of the tech crew comes on stage with a microphone. 

“Um… are you good to continue?”

“This Q&A is over.” 

“But, Splendid, you still have-”

“I said this Q&A is **_over_ **,” growls Splendid. He continues to ignore the pleads of his panel members as he stomps his way towards the backstage exit, and he kicks down the door in a blind fury. 

Once outside, Splendid continues to wander aimless until he ends up in a forest packed with trees. The sound of the convention has died down to a murmur, and all Splendid hears now is songbirds singing amongst themselves. He slumps against a maple tree and allows himself to collapse onto the forest floor. 

Pushing his mask up into his hair, Splendid sighs as he looks up at the evening sky. As much as he wanted to hate Splendont with all his being, Splendid continuously felt a whisper of emotional pain over their entire rivalry. To know that his only known family member hated him beyond reason and for no given reason was more than enough to bring Splendid’s spirits down. 

Taking in a hitched breath, Splendid bites down on his bottom lip as he feels a stream of burning tears cascade down his face. He ignores the taste of iron that fills his mouth, and he can only hope the forest is kind enough to drown out his pathetic sobs with the cries of the crows that begin to gather. 


	3. Two-Faced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  _Star-crossed enemies,  
>  green eyes that read everything,  
> growing dilemmas.  
> _   
> 

"Petunia, I know organization is your thing, but please just take a break from all your managerial duties. I don’t need you to overwork yourself for an event that’s five months away, especially after you had the gall to stand up to Splendont like that.”

“But-”

“Petunia, I swear if you don’t give yourself at least a month’s worth of time off, I’m going to break into your house and switch all the labels in your spice rack.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

“Oh you bet your fucking life I will.”

After a moment of silence from Petunia’s line, the poor girl lets out a sigh of defeat. 

“Fine.”

“Good. I’ll let you be now, and once that month is up, you can call me back whenever you want.” 

Petunia simply hums in reply before she hangs up. 

Sighing, Splendid shoves his phone back into his satchel and adjusts his glasses as he continues his path towards work. As much as he didn’t want to deal with the inevitable aftermath of his confrontation with Splendont the other day at the Daily Acorn, Splendid couldn’t afford to miss work. He needed money, and since he's “too generous” with the money he earned with his comic book and merchandise sales, according to Petunia, he's left with barely enough money to sustain himself from his sales alone. The Daily Acorn is the only place in town that paid well enough for someone like Splendid, and he couldn’t afford to lose his job no matter how much he hated it. 

And speaking of just how much he hated his job…

“Spencer! Did you hear about the bet between Splendid and Splendont?”

“Sniffles, I couldn’t care less about whatever the hell those two are up to-”

“But this is important!” Sniffles grabs Splendid’s arms and violently shakes the poor man. “I was there, and I fucking provoked a bet between them! They’re going to see who manages to find a way to kill Flippy permanently, and the loser has to leave town!”

“What?” Splendid feigns bewilderment, and he pushes Sniffles away. “That’s… not possible, Sniffles. Why the hell would they even bet on something so stupid?”

“Well, Splendont made a good point of giving a few examples of people who have died without resuscitating, like Cub’s mother. I for one feel like Splendont has more knowledge about the reasons for such deaths, which in turn puts Splendid at a great disadvantage.” Sniffles continues to follow Splendid, who pushes past the rushing people and towards his desk. “But that aside, we put up a poll last night regarding who people think will win between the brothers, and we need you to write an article about the results along with all the other pieces of writing that everyone else has provided for you. All the paperwork you’ll need is on your desk, and more will be coming once Cuddles finishes his transcriptions.”

Taking in a deep breath, Splendid has to physically restrain himself from burning all piles of paper on his desk with his laser vision. Digging his nails into his palms, Splendid can only nod his head before taking a seat, and once Sniffles is gone, he slams his face onto the only clear area in front of him. 

Today is going to be a long fucking day.

And to add insult to injury, Splendid hears someone clearing their throat behind him. Sitting up and turning his chair around, Splendid groans at the sight of Mole holding out a folder towards him. 

“If that doesn’t have anything to do with this stupid Splendid article I’m supposed to be writing, then scram.”

“Please, you get paid for every article you write, Spencer. Are you really asking me to give you a pay cut?” Mole holds the folder up to his shoulder much like a parent withholding candy from a child, and Splendid can feel his blood start to boil. 

“No-”

“Good. Now hurry up and get all these articles done before your lunch break.” Mole flings the folder into Splendid’s face, scattering papers everywhere, and takes his leave. 

If Mole hadn’t been promoted to payroll clerk, Splendid is positive he would have killed Mole then and there. But he's just too tired to care at this point. Instead, Splendid takes in a deep breath and picks up all the scattered papers before he pulls out his laptop to start working immediately. 

After a dreadful three hours, Splendid finally has all his articles printed out and ready to submit for beta reading. Slamming open Lumpy's office door, Splendid storms inside with his papers. 

“Alright.” Splendid drops his printed articles onto Lumpy’s desk along with all the extra piles of paperwork he’d been given to work with. “I’m done with this stupid story about Splendid and his stupid brother along with everything else Mole gave me. And please, for the love of the stars, stop putting me in charge of anything related to Splendid.”

Lumpy looks up at Splendid with an arched brow, and he sets down the article he’s reading. 

“Spencer, the reason I put you in charge of Splendid’s articles is because you have the most insight about him compared to anyone else.”

“Sir, I couldn’t give a damn about why I’m put in charge. I've had enough of seeing and reading about Splendid's pathetic endeavors, and I despise Splendont just as much. I know for a fact that I’m your best journalist, so start fucking treating me like I am or else I’m quitting.” 

Now that threat gets a better reaction from Lumpy. 

“N-now, Spencer, there's no need for something so hasty. Why don't you take a two hour lunch today to calm yourself down? I'll be sure to redistribute topics among everyone by the time you get back." 

Splendid narrows his eyes in suspicion, knowing that Lumpy had a habit of rarely keeping his word, but he backs off without protest. Heading back to his desk, Splendid quickly packs his things and heads out. 

Once out in the open air, Splendid takes in a deep breath and lets out an exhausted sigh. He runs a hand through his hair to smooth it down before starting his routine walk to his preferred café. He fortunately didn't look as tired as before, but it came at the expense of killing himself the other night to heal all of his injuries, including the dark circles under his eyes. 

Splendid's demeanor drops as he tries to ignore the memory, but to no avail. His wrists still feel tender and raw despite being fully healed, and the taste of his own flesh and blood continued to linger in his mouth. 

Fortunately, he arrives at the café and quickly orders his usual (with the legally allowed 14 espresso shots), and he decides to head to the library to do some research. He isn't certain he’d find anything relating to how to die or even kill off someone permanently, but it's worth a shot. Once Splendid arrives at the library, he’s quickly disappointed by the sign on the front door that forbids any food or drinks aside from water inside. 

Not wanting to throw out his drink, Splendid pops off the lid and figures he can chug the entire thing within a few seconds. But he’s only able to bring it up to his lips when the door to the library suddenly slams open. 

To think his day just couldn’t get worse. His coffee practically explodes onto his face and entire front of his shirt, and he's fortunate enough that his pants are spared from the mess. 

Splendid groans as he pushes up his glasses to wipe his face, and as he does so, the person who hit him speaks up. 

“Aw, shit, oh fuck! I’m so, so sorry about this, Sir. Aw, jeez, here take this to clean your face." 

Splendid feels a cloth being placed in his hand, and he uses it to clear his face without hesitation. At least the guy is equally upset about drenching Splendid. 

"I'm terribly sorry about hitting you. I didn't expect anyone to be standing so close to the door."

"Look, you don't have to worry about it, it was just…" 

It's at this point that Splendid finally opens his eyes and picks up his gaze to see who exactly he's talking to. His arctic blue eyes lock with the brightest emerald green eyes he's ever seen, and he's momentarily distracted by that fact alone. It takes him a few seconds to register the face staring at him, and once it clicks in his mind, his eyes widen in horror. 

"... An accident?" Flippy finishes Splendid's sentence with a weary look, a bit put off by Splendid's intense stare. "Are you… okay?" 

Splendid takes a step back, looking Flippy over in unease while clutching the veteran's handkerchief to his chest. Flippy's expression drops from one of concern to a look of shame, and his body language reflects a sudden wave of meekness that overtakes him. 

"Oh… you must already know who I am…" Flippy fiddles with the two dog tags around his neck. “Look, I know I don’t have the best reputation in this town, and it doesn’t help that I basically drenched you in your coffee, which might I add has way too much caffeine in it. But at least let me help you get a new shirt and tie so you don’t have to walk smelling like a tiramisu. There’s a clothes store just down the street here, it’s only a two minute walk. I promise it’ll be quick.”

“I…” Splendid is left baffled by the offer. “You… aren’t going to kill me?”

Flippy’s eyes widen with Splendid’s words and a look of realization replaces his gloominess. 

“Heavens, no. But if you still don’t trust me…” Flippy pulls out his Bowie knife, which is tucked into a sheath, and holds it out to Splendid. “You have every right to kill me the second I happen to flip out. Now let’s get going.”

Splendid takes the knife with hesitation, and he’s even more hesitant to start following Flippy down the steps and onto the sidewalk. He stuffs the knife and handkerchief into his satchel and trails behind Flippy, who doesn't even check to see if Splendid is actually following him. 

"So, stranger, since you already know me, it's only fair that you give me a name to address you by." 

"It's Spencer, and what the hell did you mean by _'happen to flip out'_? Actually, I'm more curious as to what the hell is up with your eyes. I've only ever seen you-"

"With golden eyes?" 

"Well, yeah."

Flippy comes to a halt and turns around to face Splendid with an arched brow. 

"You don't know about Fliqpy?" 

"Who?" 

Flippy lets out a sigh before he turns to open the door of the store he stopped in front of. 

"Let's get you cleaned up first and then I'll explain." 

_One Shopping Trip Later_

“You really didn’t have to pay for everything, you know.”

“Well, considering the fact I was the one who practically destroyed your shirt, it was the least I could do. Besides, I'm the one who gets a veteran discount.” Flippy smiles softly as he stirs his tea absentmindedly. 

After getting Splendid a new shirt and tie, Flippy invited Splendid for lunch in order to explain himself and replace Splendid’s spilled drink. All at the insistence that Splendid would not pay a single penny, and that he would replace his overdosage of caffeine for some chamomile tea. And Splendid had to admit, the tea isn’t half bad. Maybe he should start coming to this new café more often. 

“Speaking of which, what’s up with Mr. Golden Eyes?”

Flippy takes a sip from his own tea before setting down the mug with a sigh. He drums his fingers against the glass table as he begins talking. 

“That… being is someone I’ve named Fliqpy, and he’s a split personality I developed during my time in war.”

“Wait, wait, wait… What exactly does that mean?”

“You have a lot of impatience, don’t you?” Flippy rests his head on his hand, and Splendid suddenly feels embarrassed by the comment on his behaviour. “But I guess it also shows just how curious you are, and I appreciate that. I haven’t had someone sit down and allow me to explain myself in years so willingly.”

“Please, there’s nothing Fliqpy can do that would make my life any worse than it is.” Splendid drapes an arm behind his chair as he reflects on just how mild Fliqpy’s attacks were in comparison to all the bullshit Splendont put him through. 

“Your life must suck big time if that’s the case.” 

“Don’t remind me.” Splendid takes a quick swing of his tea before focusing his attention on Flippy. “So, how would you explain this whole split personality thing you’ve got going on?”

“Well… the best way I can explain it is that I have a totally separate consciousness within my mind and body. Fliqpy only comes out when something triggers my memories of war, which includes things like loud noises and excessive gore, and when that happens, I black out. I have absolutely no idea what the hell he gets up to, and I’m certain he’s also completely oblivious to my own memories. I only find out what happened while I’m blacked out the next day once Fliqpy’s rampage reaches the front page of my news feed.” Flippy lets out a heavy sigh as he looks into the café, aimlessly watching the people inside. “And… that’s why everyone hates and avoids me. They're all so terrified of triggering Fliqpy that it’s gotten to the point that people can’t—or rather they refuse to—differentiate me from Fliqpy. I mean, you didn’t even know Fliqpy was a separate person; you thought I was him.”

Splendid is left speechless, and a sudden ping of guilt strikes him in the chest. How the hell did he not learn about the real Flippy earlier? He's been fighting Fliqpy for years now, and he's sure that the fact would have surfaced sooner than later. 

"I…" Splendid leans forward in his seat as he struggles to find his voice. "I honestly don't know what to say. This is a lot of information to take in… I guess I'm sorry about mistaking you, Flippy, as Fliqpy." 

"I can't blame you. You probably only ever heard my name being thrown around; Fliqpy is rarely mentioned directly." 

Something about Flippy's calm response rubs Splendid the wrong way. Leaning an arm on their table, Splendid furrows his eyebrows as he tries to figure out why he feels so… conflicted. 

"How come you aren't more upset about the fact I was carrying around the wrong impression of you?"

"I accepted the fact that people will fear and avoid me at all costs a long time ago. Sure, it certainly sucks that despite being a people person myself, people just aren’t a _me_ person, but I can’t exactly fix that." Flippy chugs the rest of his tea with a single gulp and slams the mug down onto the table, startling Splendid a bit. "But enough about me. You're quite the mystery man yourself, Spencer. I know just about everyone in town, yet not even your name has ever crossed my path." 

"Probably because I'm like the most boring person in town." Splendid laughs dryly as he internally scrambles to piece together his fake backstory. "I'm nothing special compared to the rest of this town's colorful people. I work at the Daily Acorn as a journalist, and I spend a majority of my off time at home alone. And… that’s probably why we’ve never met before now that I really think about it.”

Splendid isn’t exactly lying, though he is still concealing most of the truth. He used to just wander around as both himself and Spencer, but that was way before Splendont ever showed up. Now all his time is dedicated to bickering with Splendont while trying to save people and working to make ends meet in his domestic life. And the more Splendid thought about it, he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he actually spent any of his free time outside of his home. 

Flippy’s eyes dart around Splendid’s facial features, and Splendid can see something shining in those emerald eyes. 

“How much sleep do you get?”

“Huh?” Splendid is taken aback by the sudden question, and he leans back in his seat in surprise. “Why are you asking?”

“Well, considering the fact your coffee from earlier had such a pungent caffeine smell, the most logical conclusion is that you don’t get nearly enough sleep for a healthy adult, and you rely on the caffeine to keep you awake for the day.” Flippy begins to mess around with his two dog tags again as he tilts his head. “Caffeine addiction is usually correlated to high stress levels, and I can only assume your job is the source of your stress levels, which in turn would make you more reluctant to leave your home because home is the only place you have some peace of mind." 

Splendid's eyes widen in shock, and he feels his face heat up in embarrassment. 

“Jeez, who the hell are you, my therapist?” Splendid laughs nervously in an attempt to defuse the awkward atmosphere, but it’s a futile effort. He starts picking at the buttons on his sleeve while Flippy continues to eye him intensely. 

“It gets boring in the library so I’ve been reading a lot of books regarding psychology lately. They’ve helped me understand myself a bit better as other people. While we’re on the subject, what were you going to do at the library?”

“I… Well…” Splendid internally struggles to put together a viable reason, but fortunately for him, Flippy’s phone suddenly beeps softly. 

Flippy picks up his phone and looks annoyed with whatever notification just popped up. Letting out a sigh, Flippy locks his phone and shoves it into his pocket before giving Splendid a crooked frown. 

“I need to get back to the library now.” Flippy stands up and flings a tip onto the table for their waitress to collect. “It’s best this be our only meeting, for your own safety at least.”

“Wait.” Splendid stands up in a haste just as Flippy turns to leave. “What if I don’t want this to be it? I’ve spent years only knowing about Fliqpy, and it’s not fair to you if that’s the only exposure I'll ever get.”

Flippy turns back to look at Splendid with a look of both shock and confusion written all over his face. 

“Only a suicidal fool would be stupid enough to hang out with me repeatedly.”

“None of those things are anything new to me.” Splendid smiles empathetically before digging into his satchel for one of his business cards along with Flippy’s handkerchief and knife. 

Flippy’s eyes flicker between Splendid’s face and the items being held out towards him. With some hesitation, Flippy takes the card along with his knife, but he leaves the handkerchief in Splendid’s hand. 

“Let’s just hope this doesn’t turn out to be the biggest mistake of your life.”

“Please, you have no idea of all the stupid things I’ve done and agreed to in my life.”

“Oh really? Well then I guess I’ll have to find out what could possibly be worse than hanging out with a ticking murder bomb.” Flippy smiles coyly, yet Splendid is unable to reflect his playfulness. 

_Maybe the fact I totally bet my entire reputation and livelihood on finding a way to kill you off permanently without realizing who exactly I was going to kill._

Splendid can only bite his tongue as he shakes his head in discomfort and fights back a grimace. 

  
“I can promise you that you _really_ don’t want to know.”


	4. Atlas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  _The weight of the world  
>  is carried by the weak while  
> shrugged off by the strong.  
> _   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used to hate poetry in high school, but nowadays it's the only thing I've got going for me.

Saving a runway bus full of people is supposed to be easy. Just take the bus off the road and that should be it. 

Splendid should _not_ have to be supporting the weight of an entire skyscraper while the overturned bus victims _and_ random bystanders run for their lives. 

Normally, Splendid could handle a few hundred tons of concrete on his own. Hell, he could probably hold that much weight on a single hand. But considering that he'd pulled an all-nighter the previous night editing over a dozen articles, to say he was struggling is an understatement. 

"Jeez, could you get any more pathetic?" 

Splendid growls at Splendont’s statement, but he can’t exactly do anything in retaliation at the moment. 

“Why… the hell would… you tip over… a fucking skyscraper?” Speaking is much more strainful than Splendid anticipated, and it doesn’t help when Splendont comes into his field of view with a smirk. 

“What? I’m not allowed to test just how weak you’ve gotten over the years?” 

“Not when there are innocent people around!” A spike of adrenaline surges through Splendid’s body, and he manages to lift the building over his head, much to the surprise of Splendont. With his fading strength, Splendid lifts up the skyscraper then proceeds to turn back upright and slams it back into its foundation. 

Taking in a deep breath, Splendid allows himself to collapse onto the roof of the skyscraper with a soft thud. His muscles are severely strained, and every breath he takes fuels the burning feeling in his lungs. Looking over at his redheaded twin, Splendid feels a chill run down his sweat drenched back when he sees Splendont staring at him with a dark expression. But not wanting to be intimidated, Splendid scowls back. 

“Why the hell do you keep doing things like this?” Splendid stumbles to his feet through hitched breaths, and Splendont’s crimson eyes only narrow further. “Why risk the lives of hundreds of people just for the sake of fucking me over? Better yet, why the hell won’t you tell me why you hate me so much?”

“The fact you don’t know the answer to that question is the very reason why,” spits out Splendont. And with that, he hovers over the edge of the roof and kicks the skyscraper. 

Splendid can only sigh as the skyscraper starts to topple over once again, but his heart skips a beat when he hears a familiar, high pitched scream from the ground. He slides over to the edge of the roof and sees Petunia struggling to lift up a piece of cement that has Giggles trapped under it. Without an ounce of hesitation, Splendid throws himself off the roof and lands next to Petunia, accidentally rocking the ground as he does so. But before he can do anything else, a flash of red sweeps up Petunia and Giggle, and Splendid is left to be crushed by the skyscraper. 

The earth rumbles violently as dust and debris cloud up the streets. 

As the dust settles, Splendid slowly starts to regain consciousness, though he’s still dazed by the massive amount of weight that crushed his head. Groaning, Splendid pitifully starts to crawl his way out from under the debris, ignoring the searing pain radiating throughout his entire body. Once Splendid makes it way out from under the skyscraper, he rolls onto his back and starts coughing from all the dust. 

"You can't even take a fucking skyscraper without getting hurt. Pathetic." Splendont lands next to Splendid, his devious smirk back on his features, but Splendid can see a shimmer of malice hiding behind his crimson eyes. "You better start preparing your goodbyes 'cause at this rate I'll be the one who'll succeed in offing Flippy."

"A- and… how exactly… are you going to do that?" Splendid lifts himself up weakly, and it's only then does he realize he's bleeding when he feels a stream of warmth run down his face. 

Splendont cackles deeply before grabbing Splendid by the collar and bringing him up to eye level.

"Please… need I remind you I've done this before." 

"That was just a fluke-"

"A fluke that killed your entire squad once and for all. I'll find a way to do it again, and I can assure you…" Splendont slams Splendid back into the concrete, earning a pained groan. "That I won't stop until I'm the last one standing." 

And with that, Splendont takes off, leaving Splendid to wallow in the threat, and the painful memory of his lost friends.

~

Why Splendid thought it'd be a great idea to continue about his day as Spencer is a question even he didn't really know how to answer. But he knew he wanted to get away from his personal responsibilities after that whole incident from earlier. 

And that's why he found himself at the library once again. 

He didn't really bother cleaning himself up aside from washing away all the blood from his arms and the cut on he found on his forehead. He felt like absolute garbage, so might as well look like it. That being said, he did take the precaution of combing back his hair to obscure any similarities to his true identity. 

Taking in a deep breath, Splendid enters the library with some hesitation, and he looks around curiously once he's inside. 

"Hello, and welco-” Flippy has to do a double take when he looks up at Splendid from his computer, and his eyes widen in horror. “What the hell happened to you?!"

"I… got jumped by Shifty and Lifty on my way here." Splendid drops his gaze as Flippy jumps over his desk and rushes over. "It's nothing-"

"Nothing? You have a gash running down your entire forearm!" Flippy furrows his eyebrows as he suddenly cups Splendid's face in his hands, flustering the undercover hero. "And you have another cut across your forehead. This is no good. Come, I have a first aid kit in one of the study rooms." 

Flippy grabs Splendid's upper arm and starts dragging him towards said room, but Splendid impulsively pulls away. 

“Hey, I’m fine. It’s nothing dire or new.”

Flippy stares at Splendid with a dumbfounded look in his emerald eyes, and he lets out a sigh before shaking his head in disappointment. 

“You really are a fool, and I’m not taking your _‘I’m fine’_ as an answer, Mister. Now get into that study room so that I can fix you up.” Flippy points at said room with a stern expression, and Splendid can only let out a sigh of defeat as he does as he’s told. 

Once they’re inside the study room, Flippy closes the door and pulls up a rather bulky first aid kit from the corner of the room onto the table. He has Splendid sit in a chair across from him, and he quickly pulls out a bobbin of thread, some alcohol swabs, and a needle.

“Alright, this might sting a bit, but as long as you don’t move too much, you should be fine.” Flippy finishes cleaning his needle with an alcohol swab, and he grabs Splendid’s arm. 

Splendid hisses a bit at the burning sensation of the residual alcohol on the needle, but once Flippy starts stitching, the pain numbs. 

“I swear the next time I see those damn twins I’m going to shred them to pieces.”

“I thought Fliqpy was the violent one in that head of yours.”

“I may be a pacifist, but that doesn’t mean I'll let people walk all over me unlike you,” scoffs Flippy. 

“I do not let people- ow!” 

“I told you not to move.” Flippy quickly finishes his stitch work, effectively closing up Splendid’s wound, and he grabs a pair of small scissors to cut off the thread. “Look, I may not know you too well yet, but considering just how nonchalant you’re acting about all your injuries, I can tell that you have some level of self loathing.”

“Look, I came because I wanted to get to know _you_ better and return your damn handkerchief. I didn’t show up because I wanted a fucking therapist appointment.”

“Seeing how defensive you’re getting only proves my point, Spencer.” Flippy sighs as he starts wrapping Splendid’s arm. “You said you wanted to get to know me better, so that means I have the same right to probe into you. If you don’t want that, the door is right there.”

Splendid stares at Flippy in silence for a few moments before turning his face away. 

Taking his silence as a victory, Flippy moves onto Splendid’s other hand for suturing. A thick silence engulfs the small room, and the only sound that echoes from the walls is the needle Flippy weaves through Splendid’s skin. Once Flippy is done, he turns back to the first aid kit to put away the needle and thread. 

“I’m sorry about snapping at you.”

Flippy looks back at Splendid, who is leaning an arm against the table and resting his head on his hand. 

“You don’t have to worry yourself about it so much.” Flippy grabs another alcohol swab and stands up in order to lean over Splendid. He proceeds to start cleaning his forehead wound without much protest from the hero. “I can understand being reluctant to want to share personal information with a near stranger, much less insecurities. I personally haven’t talked about my past too much with anyone except for Lumpy that one time he was my therapist.”

“Jeez, I can only imagine how terrible he was.” Splendid smiles faintly, and he hears Flippy stifle back a chuckle. 

“Don’t get me started.” Flippy quickly finishes wiping away all the blood and dirt from Splendid’s forehead, and he steps away to clean up and put everything in the first aid kit away.

While Flippy puts away the first aid kit, Splendid pulls out the veteran’s olive handkerchief as he stands up. He gently rubs the piece of fabric between his fingers before speaking up.

“I’m… not exactly used to being the victim.”

“You mean like the victim of a mugging?” 

“No, that’s not…” Splendid rakes back his hair in frustration and lets out a heavy sigh. “I mean… being the one who needs help. I’m supposed to be the hero in the eyes of the people who know me, and everyone relies on me to be the answer to their problems, at work and outside of it. But I can’t even do that right without fucking up, and it doesn’t help that I always get distracted by my stupid-”

Splendid bites his tongue before he can finish his sentence. 

“I think I’ve said too much.”

“I personally think you’ve said too little, but who am I to judge?” Flippy smiles crookedly and walks back over to Splendid to snatch back his handkerchief. “I once had that same mindset of feeling responsible for everyone’s well being and sanity, but I realized that in taking care of everyone else, I neglected to take care of myself.”

Flippy folds his handkerchief and ties it around Splendid’s forehead, playfully ruffling the front of his hair when he’s done. 

“Woah there, hands off the hair.” Splendid frantically combs back his hair with his hand, taking a step back from Flippy as his face heats up. 

“You’re seriously more concerned with your hairdo than all the injuries you sustained from the twins?” 

“I have my priorities.” Splendid clears his throat in an attempt to calm his nerves, and Flippy laughs at his answer. 

“You really are a strange one, Spencer. But I suppose that’s what intrigues me most about you.”

“I could say the same thing about you. You're quite the enigma yourself, and it's real shame I'm only just starting to acquaint myself with you." 

"Well, if you want…" Flippy crosses his arms over his chest and leans forward, making Splendid lean back in response. "You could, you know, speed up this whole acquainting process by joining me for lunch whenever you're free." 

Splendid's face erupts into a red hue at Flippy's proposal, and he struggles to find his voice. 

"I-I…"

Flippy bursts into laughter at Splendid's reaction, and he places a hand on Splendid's shoulder as he wipes away a stray tear from his eye. 

"Oh man, you're so easy so fluster. It's honestly kind of adorable if you ask me." Flippy pulls away and opens the door of the study room for Splendid. "I'm just asking for a friendly meet up, nothing more."

"Jeez, could you be any more suggestive?"

"I have the right to joke around every now and then. Unless you want to go out romant-"

"You know, I think I'll just meet up with you tomorrow for a _platonic_ lunch date." Splendid rushes past Flippy, trying to hide his blushing face to the best of his ability. "And I just remembered I need to get home right now. I'm assuming your lunch is around the same time I met you the other day, so I'll see you at that cafe you took me to tomorrow. Okay now bye!"

Splendid quickly disappears out the library doors, and he's never been so thankful for wind in his entire life once he steps outside. Taking in a deep breath, Splendid places a hand over his chest, and he can feel his heart pounding against his chest. 

But it's not lovestruck anxiety that's got his nerves worked up.

_How the hell am I going to stop Splendont from killing an innocent life without Hell breaking loose?_

♡

Flippy can't help but smile softly at the poor journalist's mental breakdown once he leaves the library. 

Flippy's smile, however, doesn't last long as he turns back to his desk. Sighing, Flippy walks around his desk and takes a seat before opening one of his drawers. 

Flippy knew something suspicious was going on in town, but all his electronics had been hacked and prevented him from directly finding out what was going on. And it didn't help that everyone was keeping this dirty little secret so well kept. Even the town's biggest gossipers were only whispering amongst themselves in the shadows, and that's when Flippy knew the secret was about _him_. 

But after some digging and bribing, Flippy finally got his hands on a newspaper that spilled everything. 

Pulling out the ripped piece of paper out of his desk, Flippy skims over the article for the dozenth time that day. 

_Killing the Unkillable: The Race to Permanently Kill Happy Tree's Deadliest Citizen._

_...While Splendont has the highest success rate, our survey shows that Splendid has the highest amount of support from our town people. The town is rooting for Splendid to finally end Flippy's reign of terror that's been plaguing our town for years, though how he will achieve such a feat remains a mystery._

Surely Spencer knew about this, the article was written by someone at the Daily Acorn after all. And it only increased the suspicion Flippy had towards the journalist. 

Spencer is hiding something from him, something significant. And while Flippy couldn't tell exactly what that something is at the moment, he could only assume that it's the real reason Spencer is so interested in him. 

Flippy's days are numbered, so he might as well make them interesting by trying to decipher his last mystery.


	5. Distorted Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  _The traumatic past  
>  left two mirror opposite  
> victims void of love.  
> _   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too much plot, not enough space! Order Space Bags-
> 
> But seriously, I didn't realize just how old Space Bags were until I googled the commercial, and holy FUCK I'm getting old.

“These books are due back on the tenth of next month, and please try not to get any food or sweets on the pages. I’ve already had to replace the last few books you checked out, and I’m going to charge you for the replacements next time.” 

Nutty only nods before scurrying away, and Flippy turns his attention to the next person in line. 

“Hello, Sniffles. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you around here.” 

“I’ve been… busy.” Sniffles averts his gaze, and Flippy can sense something is off immediately. “Anyways, I was looking for a particular book, but it appears this library doesn’t have it. Do you mind seeing if you can order it?”

“Just give me the title and author, and I can search the national library catalog for it.” 

Sniffles hands over a piece of paper with the book title, and Flippy is immediately caught off guard by the book’s title. 

“Um… What language is this?” 

“It’s… You know what, I think you’ll have better luck looking for the author instead of the title. I'm pretty sure that's the only book they've written.”

Flippy eyes Sniffles carefully, noting how much he’s fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Turning to his computer, Flippy types in the name of the author of the foreign book, keeping watch of Sniffles out of the peripheral of his eye. As the catalog begins to load, Flippy finally notices the comic books Sniffles is holding at his side. 

“So, you're a fan of Splendid?”

Sniffles tenses up at the mention of the hero, and he sheepishly hides the comics behind his back. 

“I-I wouldn’t really say I’m super interested in Splendid… I’m more of a casual-”

“Sniffles, I can look up your check out history and confirm that you’re lying.” Flippy gives Sniffles a side glare before turning his attention back to his computer, and he quickly finds the book Sniffles wants. It’s currently checked out in a library across the country, and two more people have it on reserve once it’s returned. “Tell me, how would you describe Splendid?”

“W-Why are you so curious about him all of a sudden?” 

“I was just talking to someone the other day, and I realized that I’ve encountered just about everyone in town except for Splendid. Hell, I don’t actually know what he looks like outside of a few glances at his comics, but artistic renditions of a person aren’t always accurate. I’m sure you would know.” Flippy leans an arm on his desk to rest his head on his hand, watching beads of sweat start to form on Sniffles' forehead. 

"W-well…" Sniffles rocks on his feet uneasily. "He's not the greatest superhero, I'll admit… But he really makes up for his incompetence with his big heart. Splendid cares a lot about people, even if he does suck at saving them at times. Out of everyone in town, I'd say he's the most compassionate person I know." 

Sniffles smiles slightly as he speaks, and Flippy narrows his eyes. 

Sniffles is being genuine, Flippy can tell that much. But the judgement from Sniffles is most likely biased in nature due to Sniffles' (assumed) obsession with the hero. After filling in the request form for the book, Flippy submits it and swivels his chair around to face Sniffles directly. 

"The book is currently checked out and on hold for two separate people. I've submitted a request for the book once it's available, and I'm estimating that's around a month at minimum." 

"What? There has to be another copy somewhere else."

"Sniffles, there is only one copy of that book that showed up in the database. But if you want, I can do some research on the author here-"

" _Don't_!" Sniffles snatches his note back, startling Flippy. "You dare." 

Flippy leans back in his chair with a hand over his chest, and it's only then does Sniffles realize what's just happened. 

Sniffles drops his comics and makes a run for the exit, ignoring the fact that Flippy's eyes remain their usual bright, emerald green. 

Taking in a deep breath, Flippy counts to ten before letting out a heavy sigh. He stands up and walks around the desk to pick up Sniffles' dropped comics, though he pauses to stare at one specific comic's cover art. 

The cover art depicts Splendid facing off with someone who looks exactly like him, but with mirrored colors. He could only assume that this was Splendont, and he doesn't bother delving into the question further when his phone's soft alarm interrupts him. Sighing, Flippy turns off his alarm before he tosses the comic onto his desk and places the rest of them onto his return cart. 

He quickly grabs his wallet and keys from his desk before heading out. 

Flippy would be lying if he said he wasn't flattered by the fact Spencer is so willing to be around him. But he'd also be lying if he said he trusted the man. 

Flippy isn't too sure whether Spencer's little secret is malicious in nature, but deep down, he wants it to be nothing more than a silly little thing they could laugh about later. As unlikely as that is, Flippy didn't want to lose the only person he could remotely call a friend. He couldn't remember the last time someone acted so… normal around him. 

Spencer isn't scared of him, far beyond it actually. And that in itself was more than enough for Spencer to steal Flippy's fractured heart. 

Arriving at the café, Flippy quickly orders his food inside, much to the poor cashier's relief, and he takes a seat at the same outdoor table he and Spencer sat at the other day. After about five minutes, his drink arrives, but there’s still no sign of Spencer anywhere. 

Ten more minutes pass and his food is given to him. Tapping his fork against his plate, Flippy is starting to wonder if Spencer has stood him up. It’s a likely possibility… This isn’t the first time someone’s done so to Flippy, so why should the veteran be surprised at this point?

_Of course Spencer would come to his senses when he realized just how dangerous I truly am. Even the dumbest idiots know to be around me for so long. Why did I think he’d be different-_

“I’m here!”

Flippy looks up to see a disheveled Spencer running down the street towards him, and the journalist almost collapses from exhaustion when he gets to their table. Hunching over, Spencer gasps for air before straightening himself up and letting out a sigh. 

“I’m so sorry about being late. There was an accident that blocked off Main Street so I had to take a detour, but then I got lost and… ugh!” Groaning, Spencer takes off his satchel and drapes it over his chair before falling into his seat and slamming his face onto the table. 

“I had a hunch that you were a workaholic, but this is just depressing.” Flippy slides over his drink towards Spencer, who refuses to lift his head up. “Drink up, you look parched.”

“I’m-”

“If the words _‘I’m fine’_ ever slip out of your mouth again, I’m going to take your glasses and shove them down your fucking throat.” Flippy stabs his fork into a strawberry, and he smirks slightly when Spencer grunts in defeat. 

Sitting up, Spencer readjusts his glasses and takes a sip from Flippy’s drink while Flippy shoves the strawberry into his own mouth. 

“I could have just ordered my own drink.”

“Yes, but considering how tired you look, I don’t think you have enough mental strength to even figure out what you’d want to drink.” 

Spencer laughs dryly at Flippy’s remark, but he doesn’t attempt to deny the accusation. He pushes up his glasses to rub his eyes while he shakes his head. 

“I can’t get anything past you, can I?” Spencer smiles softly, but Flippy notes how the journalist starts anxiously drumming his fingers against the table. “Anyways, I’ve been talking about myself a lot lately, so how about we switch the topic to you today.”

"I suppose that's fair. So, what do you want to know about me?" Flippy fiddles with his fork while Spencer takes a moment to think. 

"Would it be alright for me to ask just how you're able to stay so compassionate when the majority of this place has a… strong disliking towards you?" 

"You aren't going to offend me with the word _'hate'_ just so you know." 

“I still wouldn’t feel right using such a word.” Spencer ceases drumming the table and darts his eyes towards the sidewalk. 

“How considerate.” Sarcasm laces Flippy’s voice as he rolls his eyes. "War may have left its scars on me, but I try my best to keep together the person I was before entering the battlefield. I was—and am still trying to be— a respectable member of society, and that means treating people the way you’d want them to treat you. Kind of ironic considering that no matter how hard I try to stay generous and such, I’ll never get anything remotely close to kindness back.”

"But I'm assuming you had friends before you entered the military?"

"I had a handful in college, but those relationships simmered out. Except… for two…" Flippy’s expression immediately drops, and Spencer raises an eyebrow. 

“Um… Flippy?”

“They… were my best friends, and we all went to military boot camp together… and I’m honestly surprised we all made it into to the same squad.”

_“Flippy?”_

“We... didn't really understand just how dangerous real combat was until we were tasked to take out the leader of the enemy division… I tried to warn our Sergeant that we needed more men, but he refused to listen to me.” Flippy clutches the fork in his hand as his body starts to tremble, tears starting to form in his emerald eyes. “H-He... he said he had faith in me. I… I was the one put in charge of infiltrating that damn base… B-Because my Sergeant trusted me... I-I’d throw enough knives during boot camp and in battles beforehand… How the hell did I make such a fucking rookie mistake during that mission?”

Spencer speaks up again, but at this point, Flippy has fallen back too far into his memories to hear him. His chest constricts as he struggles to catch his breath, and his vision starts to cloud. 

_It was all my fault they died. It was all my fault. It was MY fault. They were killed because of my stupidity. Why did I make suchastupidmistake?Theyalldiedtrustingme.Whydidtheytrustme??Theirdeathswereallmyfault.Itshouldhavebeenmewhodiedforgood,itshouldhavebeenmeWHYWASN’TITME-_

A sudden splash of cold manages to snap Flippy out of his head, and he’s too stunned to realize what just happened. It’s only when his eyes refocus on Spencer does he see his empty cup in the journalist’s hand. 

“What the heck was that for?” Flippy takes off his beret to strain it, and Spencer starts rummaging through his satchel. 

“I guess you could say that was my inevitable pay back for drenching me in coffee when we first met.” Spencer smiles coyly and pulls out Flippy’s handkerchief, holding it out for him. 

Flippy wants to scold him, but looking into Spencer’s arctic blue eyes, he suddenly realizes the real motive for Spencer’s sudden action. Taking back his handkerchief, Flippy quickly dries his face, and opts to take off his jacket in order to keep his undershirt dry. After tying his jacket around his waist, Flippy sheepishly rakes a hand through his hair as he avoids eye contact with Spencer. 

“Thanks for that…” Flippy looks back up at the journalist, and his face heats up when Spencer’s smile softens. 

“Hey, it was the least I could do. Anyways… I think I should probably go inside to order my own food now. But before I go, I actually wanted to give you something.” Spencer reaches into his satchel once more and pulls out a small alpaca plush. “I stole this from Mole’s desk, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

Spencer hands over the plush, with Flippy accepting it with some hesitance. The journalist then gives him a small wave before entering the café, leaving behind a flustered Flippy. 

Staring at the alpaca, Flippy lets out a sigh as he places a cold hand on his burning face, but it doesn’t help that his heart is pounding frantically against his chest. The logical side of himself knew he still had a lot to learn about Spencer, specifically whatever secret he's hiding, but being so deprived of basic human kindness for so many years has its side effects.

And the seemingly simple gesture of snapping him out of an episode was more than enough for Flippy’s emotional side to take over and develop a crush on the poor journalist. 

_Shit._

♤

It’s a cold night up north, far from Happy Tree. 

A frosty sigh escapes the redhead’s lips as he continues to watch the people below, eyeing everyone meticulously. He's been sitting on this roof for two hours now, and his patience is wearing thin. 

Pulling out his phone, he quickly checks his news-feed and is disgusted when he sees his stupid brother’s face on the news story from that morning. He gets even more irate when he reads that Splendid got all the credit for _his_ save despite the loser crashing into a few cars when the redhead sucker punched him. And as he continues reading, his anger peaks when he reads an eyewitness account criticizing him for being reckless. Growling, he crushes his phone into dust and scatters its remains over the edge of the roof. 

As he glances over to the sidewalk below, he immediately perks up when he finally sees the person he’s been waiting for. He quickly stands up and watches them enter the apartment complex, and he waits until the light of their room turns on. Once he knows which apartment they live in, he jumps off the roof and lands quietly in an alleyway. He crosses the street without a second glance, and he makes his way inside the complex. 

He can hear the person mumbling to themselves through the paper thin walls, and he smirks as he reaches their door. He knocks and steps back to adjust his glasses just as the person opens their door. 

“Um… Can I help you?” 

“Are you the scientist that was kicked off the Board of Biochemist for the controversy surrounding this particular article?” Splendont pulls out a newspaper clipping and hands it over to the scientist, and the color drains from their face when they realize what the redhead is referring to. 

“I-I… I can’t discuss anything due to legal-”

“You were in the process of recovering _something_ from those dead bodies, but you were stopped by the ethics committee due to a fear of that _something_ getting into the wrong hands, is that not true?” Splendont takes a step forward, towering over the scientist as they retreat into their apartment. “What was it?”

“You expect me to tell a random stranger something so classified? Who the hell are you anyways?” 

Splendont takes in a deep breath before removing his glasses, his crimson eyes glowing dangerously. 

“I’ll become your worst nightmare if you don’t tell me what your stupid lab is trying to cover up. Now tell me, what did you find in the permanently deceased?” 

“Please, what’s the worst you can do?” The scientist is backed up onto a wall at this point, and they cross their arms over their chest in proest. Their confidence, however, evaporates when Splendont punches through the wall beside their head. The heat coming from the redhead’s glowing eyes is now palpable, and it’s only then does the poor scientist recognize the face scowling at him. 

“I was the one who killed Splendid’s stupid super squad, and I demand to know how that happened.”

“O-Okay, okay, I’ll talk!” The scientist trembles violently under Splendont’s gaze, and Splendont smirks at their cowardice. “M-My team and I discovered a common link between all the permanently deceased samples we were given. It was an undiscovered neurotoxin, but the origins of the toxin are currently unknown. The only conclusion we came to was that all the deceased individuals had come into contact with the toxin within a maximum span of twenty four hours before their deaths. 

"I proposed isolating the toxin and mass producing it, but it was deemed unethical because the committee didn’t want a method of permanent death to be possible. They said it was _‘too dangerous’_ , and that I shouldn’t be playing _‘God’_ or whatever. But can you imagine the practical uses for such a toxin? We can finally put suffering people out of their misery once and for all!”

“A neurotoxin, you say?” Splendont covers his mouth in thought and takes a step back. “And you know how to isolate it?”

“I didn’t get the chance to discover how to do so because I was suspended.”

“But say I could get you back those samples, would you be able to figure it out and be able to produce a viable poison with it?”

“Hypothetically speaking, yes.”

“Good.” Splendont pulls out a piece of paper with his number and hands it over to the scientist. “Let’s make a deal: I’ll get you everything you need to isolate that neurotoxin, you make me a poison with that neurotoxin, and I won’t kill you in return.”

“That… isn’t really a great deal-”

“Do you want to live or do you want me to shove those damn samples down your throat so that your precious experiment kills you?”

The scientist shuts their mouth and gulps, and they shake their head frantically.

“Then it’s a deal.” Splendont puts his glasses back and turns away, but he pauses at the door. “You’ll call me with updates to know how the poison is coming along, and don’t even think about telling anyone about this. I’ll find and kill you before you even have the chance.”

The scientist gives a shaky nod as they clutch the piece of paper to their chest, and Splendont takes his leave. 

Making it outside, Splendont is immediately greeted by a frigid breeze.

Sighing, he digs into his jacket and pulls out a burnt Polaroid photo, and his expression darkens as he stares at his younger self being hugged by his blue twin. No one would have ever suspected anything wrong with such an innocent photo, but to Splendont, the memories behind the photo lied within its burnt edges. His hand trembles, and he fights back tears as he rips off Splendid from the photo. Holding Splendid’s half of the photo up to eye level, Splendont chokes back his fury as he stares at his twin with pure hatred. 

“You promised you’d love me forever, you liar. You said… that you’d never abandon me, just like everyone else did. But then you went and _did_ _just all that_.” Scalding tears begin to stream down Splendont’s face as he crushes the Polaroid in his fist. “I won’t stop until I put you through everything you made me suffer through all those years ago. And that begins with making everyone hate you to the point they all chose to forget about you, just like you chose to forget about us… _About me_ …” 

Splendont opens his hand to burn the Polaroid with his laser vision, and he watches its ashes get carried away by the night breeze. 

The sky darkens as snow begins to fall, but the flurry of snow does nothing to muffle the pitter-patter of crystallized tears falling onto the sidewalk, echoing into the empty city.


	6. Zugzwang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  _The dominoes of  
>  the inevitable truth  
> have begun to tip.  
> _   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three weeks into the semester and I already want to smash my head through a glass window. That being said, I'm going to be taking a break from writing due to school.
> 
> Thank you for reading! 💖

The distant echo of a security alarm is more than enough for Splendid’s sleep to be disturbed. 

Sitting up with a groan, Splendid lazily rubs his eyes before grabbing his phone off his nightstand. 

Nine am. 

"Just when I thought I could get more than three hours of sleep."

Yawning, Splendid throws off his comforter and slumps his way over to his closet. After quickly throwing on his signature outfit, Splendid goes back to his nightstand to pick up his mask, but he's momentarily distracted when his phone gets a notification. 

Picking up his phone, Splendid lets out a sigh when he sees Flippy’s name on his home screen. Right… Splendid had promised to meet up with Flippy for lunch at the museum today… 

Running a hand through his hair, Splendid unlocks his phone and quickly skims through Flippy’s message. 

Flippy: _Hey, I was just wondering if you happen to have a flower allergy of some sort? Not that it's important or anything._

A small smile sneaks its way onto Splendid’s lips, and he quickly types back his response before picking up his mask. 

Splendid: _I only have a penicillin allergy, so you don’t have to worry about any flowers._

Flippy: _Right… Well, I guess I’ll see you later then._

Splendid finishes securing his mask around his eyes before shoving his phone into his pocket. Opening his window, Splendid pauses to take in a deep breath and stare off into the horizon. 

_It’s just another day’s work_ , he tells himself. _Look on the bright side: you don’t have to go to work today, and Flippy’s buying lunch. Things aren’t going to get any better than that._

Jumping out the window, Splendid soars into the clouds and follows the sound of the alarm system to a jewelry store downtown. The display windows have been smashed in, and Splendid can hear the familiar cackles of Shifty and Lifty as the twins shovel jewels into a duffel bag. 

Sighing, Splendid lands on broken glass and casually enters the store through the unscathed front door. 

“You two have got a lot of nerve for trying a heist so early.” 

The twins freeze at the sound of Splendid’s voice, but Shifty shakes away his surprise and replaces it with a malicious smirk. 

“And you’ve got a lot of nerve for being alive!” Shifty picks up an acorn shaped green gem from the duffel bag and chucks it at Splendid. His confidence, however, is quickly shattered when Splendid catches the gem and crushes it in his fist. 

“That.” Splendid spills the dust of the gemstone onto the floor and takes a step forward. “Was an emerald.”

The twins pale as Splendid towers over them with glowing red eyes, and they don’t even get the chance to scream as Splendid kills them in a single shot. Once their bodies drop to the ground, Splendid takes a moment to rub his stinging eyes. 

“Shit,” he mumbles under his breath. Blinking, Splendid feels tears escaping his eyes, and he groans as he wipes them away with his thumb. But before Splendid takes his leave, he happens to glance at his hand, and he’s astonished to see blood on his thumb. 

Rubbing his fingers together, Splendid looks around the store and sees a mirror sitting on one of the unbroken display cases. Stepping over the dead twins, Splendid picks up the mirror and takes a good look at his eyes. He furrows his eyebrows when he sees that his eyes are bloodshot and that blood is slightly pooling up near his tear ducts. 

Guess all that lack of sleep is finally starting to catch up to him. 

Closing his eyes, Splendid sets the mirror down and frantically rubs his palms over his eyelids. He did not have time for this kind of bullshit so early. Splendid pulls out his phone once he’s done clearing his eyes, and he’s thankful that he has enough time to get home and clean up before meeting up with Flippy. 

He shuts off the alarm system on his way out, and he disappears into the sky. What Splendid failed to notice on his way out is the person hiding in the shadows of the jewelry store waiting for his leave. 

Once the coast is clear, he walks over to Shifty’s body and removes the thief’s signature fedora from their decapitated head. Fortunately for him, the blood that drips off the fedora and onto his head blends in perfectly with his red hair. 

_One Shower Later_

Maybe it's just the fact that it'd been a while since he'd drunk coffee, but Splendid is almost certain that iced coffee is way more caffeinated than hot coffee. Not that he's complaining. Quite the opposite actually. 

Splendid lets out a long sigh as he checks his phone, rattling his cup out of boredom. Scrolling through emails, he internally screams at the number of emails from the Daily Acorn requesting him for an interview. He deletes all these emails without a second thought and promptly marks the Daily Acorn's email as spam. Looking at the time, Splendid starts to wonder if Flippy is running late.

“Hey.”

Splendid recoils violently and nearly drops his drink at the sound of Flippy’s voice. Twisting around, he takes in a shaky breath and places a hand over his chest. 

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I-I didn’t mean to.” Flippy holds up a hand in defense, and Splendid notices that he’s holding something behind his back. 

Splendid puts his phone away and internally wonders why his super hearing didn’t catch the veteran’s footsteps. He readjusts his glasses and takes a step back towards the museum’s staircase, a bit flushed for startling so easily. 

“Just… maybe just don’t stand too close next time? But that aside, what do you have there?” Splendid gestures to Flippy’s hidden hand, and the veteran’s face dusts itself a faint red. 

“W-well…” Flippy clasps his hand over his dog tags and averts his gaze. “How about we go inside the museum first?”

“Fair enough.” Splendid quickly tosses his empty drink into a nearby trash bin and takes the lead up the stairs with Flippy trailing behind him. 

Once inside, Splendid picks up a map of the museum and locates the path to the restaurant inside. The two walk together in silence, both stealing glances at the pieces of art and artifacts they pass by. When they finally reach the restaurant patio, they’re quickly seated and attended to. After their waiter leaves, Flippy clears his throat. 

“So, it’s been about three weeks since we’ve started hanging out, and I’m going to admit that I didn’t really expect you to last this long with me. People have normally called it quits after a few days, but you hardly flinch around me. Well, with the exception of earlier, but that’s besides the point.” Flippy finally brings up what he's been hiding behind his back, and it turns out to be a small bouquet. “And I wanted to give you this as a thanks for that.”

Splendid feels his face heat up as he stares at the flowers. Sure, he gets a lot of gifts on behalf of his fans, but those gifts are for _Splendid_. And this is the first time anyone has ever even given his civilian identity a gift, let alone the time of day. 

Guilty suddenly pierces through Splendid’s chest, but he pushes it aside as he takes the flowers from Flippy. 

“I… I think this is the first genuine gift I’ve ever gotten from someone.” Splendid allows himself to smile despite his conflicting emotions. “I guess I should also be thanking you as well. You’re the first real friend I’ve made my entire time here in Happy Tree.”

“M-Me? Please, you had at least someone before me, right?” 

“I had… a group of friends.” Splendid’s mood immediately drops as he remembers his squad, and he digs his nails into his arm to keep tears from slipping out. “But… now I don’t.”

“Oh… I…” Flippy starts fiddling with his dog tags before he lets out a sigh and gives Splendid an empathetic look. “I guess we have something else in common then, as unfortunate as it is.”

“I really wish we didn’t.” Splendid sets the bouquet down on the table and leans back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest.

Their food finally arrives, and Flippy starts picking at his food while staring off into the distance.

“Aside from friendships, have you ever been in a romantic relationship with anyone?”

“Not really. I’ve had a few people try and court me and all that jazz, but no one’s really caught my eye the whole time I’ve been here. And that’s saying a lot considering I swing both ways.”

“You do?” Flippy’s eyes light up at Splendid’s statement, which goes unnoticed by the undercover hero as he nods. 

But before Splendid can say anything else, his phone starts ringing. Stealing a glance at the caller ID, and he almost snaps his fork in half. 

“Sorry, but I need to get this.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be waiting for you; hopefully it doesn’t take long.”

Splendid hums before standing up and reentering to the museum to answer his phone. 

“What the hell do you want, Mole?”

_“Watch the attitude, Spencer.”_

“Get to the point. Why are you calling me on my day off?”

_“You see, there’s been… an incident at the Daily Acorn, and now half of our journalists are currently dead. We need you to come in as soon as possible in order to finish whatever work they left behind, and anything you don’t finish will go home with you.”_

“Wha- I am not going to take up someone else’s work when I already spent all last night editing for-”

_“Oh, Spencer,”_ interrupts Mole, and Splendid can hear the smirk on his face. _“We both know you’re living the life of a broke college student without the benefit of an education. You need money, and money comes with articles. So get your pathetic self over here, or you’re getting a pay cut.”_

Splendid has to bite his tongue to keep himself from cursing out Mole. 

“Fine. But it’ll be about half an hour until I arrive. The bus system in this stupid city is slow as hell, so no complaining about tardiness.”

_“So be it.”_ Mole hangs up without another word, and Splendid has to shove his phone back into his pocket to keep himself from crushing it. 

Splendid pinches the bridge of his nose as he takes in a deep breath to calm himself down. Guess today is going to be as shitty as every other day without Flippy goes. 

“Do you want to add any more injury to insult, universe?” mutters Splendid. 

The universe does. 

Just as Splendid turns to head back outside, a familiar green fedora slips past the corner of his eye. Whipping his head around, Splendid narrows his eyes as he surveys the exhibit. 

_No, that couldn’t be Shifty. I just killed him an hour ago-_

The sound of shattering glass suddenly fills the quiet halls of the museum, and Splendid feels adrenaline surge through his body. He throws off his glasses and slips into a nearby bathroom to throw off his civilian clothes in a haste. After Splendid finishes securing his mask, he runs towards the source of the sound, ignoring the wailing alarm that starts going off and people rushing past him. 

He skids to a halt when he reaches the gem holding wing of the museum, but nothing seems too out of place. 

Slowly, Splendid enters one of the exhibit rooms, and he finally sees the damage he's looking for. Several glass cases have been smashed in and gems have been stolen, but he fails to see anyone. Stepping inside, he looks over at a nearby description card for one of the missing gems, and his blood runs cold.

_Swan carved from Kryptonut._

A shriek snaps Splendid back into the present, and a sudden realization finally dawns on him.

_The alarms._

But Splendid doesn’t get far when a fire suddenly bursts into the interior of the museum. He tenses at the sight of a familiar silhouette marching through the smoking blaze, and his heart drops when Flippy emerges from the flames wielding a burning bouquet. 

“Found you.” It’s a deep, raspy voice that speaks up from the veteran’s body, and Splendid’s heart rate spikes. Fliqpy charges Splendid, swinging the bouquet like a torch, and Splendid hardly has time to react. 

Splendid somersaults backwards to avoid the flames, and once he lands, he picks up the closest art piece he can get his hands on, which happens to be a Victorian lamp post in this case. He goes to swing it at Fliqpy, but he suddenly hesitates when he makes eye contact with Fliqpy. 

In that split second of hesitation, Fliqpy rams into Splendid full force, knocking the lamp post out of his hands and forcing Splendid through a wall. 

Splendid gets the wind knocked out of his lungs when he collides with the floor, but he still manages to rip the burning bouquet out of Fliqpy's hold and toss it out of reach. Using the momentum of their fall, Splendid rocks back far enough to kick Fliqpy over his head and into a wall. Scrambling to his feet, Splendid’s eyes glaze over a nearby fire alarm, and he quickly slides over to pull the level. 

The security alarm dies down as the sprinklers begin to corral the raging flames, but it does nothing to slow down the veteran. Fliqpy brandishes his Bowie knife once he’s back on his feet, and he makes a beeline towards Splendid. 

Splendid takes in a shaky breath as he focuses on Fliqpy’s weak points, and once he’s within reach, Splendid quickly disarms him before grabbing his arm and pinning him to the ground. But Splendid isn’t able to even start thinking of what to do next when something suddenly slams into the side of his head. 

The force is enough to knock Splendid off Fliqpy, and Splendid is abruptly overwhelmed with nausea. Looking over at what hit him, Splendid’s eyes widen in horror to see the missing swan carving right next to him. 

“Well, well, well, the mighty General is terrified is a pathetic green rock.” Fliqpy smirks as he stands up and starts walking over towards Splendid, who ends up backing into a wall.

“W-What the hell are you talking about?”

Fliqpy doesn’t answer Splendid. Instead, he picks up the piece of Kryptonut and lunges onto Splendid, stabbing the carving’s beak straight into the hero’s chest. 

Splendid can’t even shriek due to the vomit he begins to violently cough up. As Fliqpy rips out the Kryptonut, Splendid finally notices someone standing in the background staring at the two. He freezes when he recognizes the outfit alongside the green fedora, but he can’t distinguish Shifty’s face from under the shadow of his brim. 

Before Fliqpy can stab Splendid again, the hero uses all the strength he can muster to punch Fliqpy off, and the veteran goes flying. The sound of the Kryptonut carving shattering echoes through the room, but Splendid doesn’t care. Gasping for air, Splendid finishes spitting up vomit before he surveys the area for any sign of Shifty. 

_How the hell is he still alive? I decapitated the bastard for fuck’s sake! At least… I think I did?_ Splendid’s thoughts start to muddle while he struggles to come up with a plausible explanation for the thief’s survival. 

Fortunately for Splendid, he hears Fliqpy attacking someone out of the blue, and he snaps his head around just in time to see the veteran pinning down ‘ _Shifty’_. 

“You bloody idiot! I’m not the enemy here!” 

That isn’t Shifty’s voice. Splendid feels his blood begin to boil, and he almost explodes when Fliqpy knocks off the fedora, exposing a head of red hair. 

“Splendont,” growls Splendid. 

His twin glares at him out of the corner of his eye, and Splendont grabs Fliqpy by the throat and chucks him through one of the glass windows. 

“What the hell is this all about?” Splendid’s voice hitches with each breath he takes, and he slowly staggers to his feet. 

Splendont pulls down Shifty’s vest and casually dusts himself off before picking up the fedora. It’s then that Splendid realizes his twin isn’t wearing his blue mask, but is instead sporting his civilian glasses. 

“If you’d been paying any attention, you’d know this is all just routine. As for the whole Shifty get up.” Splendont smirks as he places the fedora back on his head. “It’s just fun mind fucking with you.”

“I- What? I thought you said you were going to get rid of Fliqpy, so why the hell are you going after me?”

“Oh, I am going to get rid of Flippy alright. As for all this…” Splendont takes a step back into the shadows, and his smirk darkens with the action. “This is all just for my own satisfaction.”

“You’re a sick son of a bitch, I hope you realize that.”

“Please.” Splendont’s expression drops to one of hostility, and Splendid feels a shiver run his spine. “I got the message when I realized just how much of a bitch that so-called _mother_ was.” 

Splendid is left paralyzed by Splendont’s words. 

“You… You remember our parents?” 

"You mean _your_ parents?" hisses Splendont. 

"What?"

But Splendid never gets an answer.

Fliqpy comes charging back inside, wielding one of the larger shards of Kryptonut, and he tackles Splendid back onto the floor. He stabs the shard into Splendid’s neck without an ounce of hesitation and starts choking the gasping hero. 

As Splendid struggles to keep Fliqpy from asphyxiating him, his eyes dart around the room for anything to save himself when he locks eyes with Splendont one last time. Splendont’s face is void of any distinguishable emotion, and he promptly turns around to take his leave. 

But Splendid isn’t going to let Splendont slip away this easily. Not this time. 

Turning his attention back to the veteran, Splendid headbutts Fliqpy as hard as he can, and in that brief moment of recoil, he brings his knees up to his chest and kicks Fliqpy off. He rips out the piece of Kryptonut embedded into his neck and hurls it straight into Splendont’s back.

Splendont lets out a sharp breath as he collapses onto his knees, clutching his chest. His body convulses, and he starts to throw up that iconic green bile. 

Looking away from his dying twin, Splendid presses a hand to his bleeding neck and pushes himself up against a wall for support. Dry heaving for air, Splendid glares up at Fliqpy, who appears in front of him with a taunting smirk. 

“This is for my fallen soldiers, you bastard.” Fliqpy brings up his Bowie knife, but at this point, Splendid is too weak to fight back. 

Splendid hardens his stare as Fliqpy raises his knife, but the veteran never gets the chance to strike. Splendid’s cell phone suddenly starts ringing, and Fliqpy freezes with the knife above his head. Splendid furrows his eyebrows in confusion when Fliqpy drops the knife and starts backing away from him. 

Fliqpy stares blankly at the wall behind Splendid before falling onto his knees, holding his head in his hands. 

Splendid doesn’t understand what’s happening, but he doesn’t hesitate to use this chance to slip behind a nearby pillar sculpture and mute his phone. He listens as Fliqpy’s voice suddenly softens into a pained groan followed by the veteran stumbling to his feet. 

“W-What…” 

Splendid feels his heart skip a beat when he recognizes Flippy’s voice. 

_No, no, no!_ It’s an inevitability that Flippy is going to search for Spencer, but Splendid doesn’t have enough energy nor time to sneak away to change back. An idea suddenly pops into his head, and as much as Splendid doesn’t want to act on it, he doesn’t have any other option. 

Taking in a deep breath, Splendid listens to Flippy’s footsteps to pinpoint his exact location. 

“I’m sorry,” whispers Splendid. He closes his eyes before slamming his back into the pillar. He grimaces at the sound of Flippy’s body being crushed under the pillar, but he can’t help but let out a sigh of relief when he knows that he’s dead. 

Standing up, Splendid limps over to Flippy’s Bowie knife and picks it up. Looking down at the pool of Flippy’s blood under his shoes, Splendid removes his mask, staring at it blankly as he wraps his fist around it. His phone starts ringing again, but Splendid simply takes it out of his pocket and flings it off into a corner of the room. 

“I guess Splendont was right about me the whole time; I really am a sorry excuse of a hero.” Bringing the knife up to his heart, Splendid lets out one last heavy sigh. “I'll make this up to you somehow, but for now, let’s just hope the hospital is kind enough to keep us in separate rooms.”

With the last of his strength, Splendid forces the knife through his chest and collapses next to Flippy. The last thing he hears is the distant wailing of an ambulance, and soon he’s reunited with the empty void of death.


	7. A New Kind of Kryptonut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A guilt fueled lie,_   
>  _a promise worth dying for,_   
>  _which will bring his fall?_   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update for my lovely readers, as a treat since life is super hellish right now, and because you deserve it.

It's the coolness of the room that coaxes Splendid awake. 

Splendid takes a moment to blink away his bleary vision before slowly sitting with a soft groan. Rubbing his eyes, he glances around the hospital room until he catches sight of a glowing clock at the end of his room. 

2 am.

He runs a hand through his hair, and it’s then that Splendid realizes that his mask is missing. Looking down at himself, he frowns when he sees that he’s been stripped of his clothes and put into a hospital gown. He also notes that an IV has been placed in his arm, but looking at the bag on the IV pole doesn’t exactly tell him what was put into him. If it’s anything like the last time he was here, it could have been a sedative to keep him from escaping the hospital so soon. 

Speaking of escaping, everything that happened the other day suddenly floods his mind, and Splendid feels his blood run cold. 

If his intuition was right, then he must have been sharing a room with Splendont this whole time. But when he stands up and pulls away the curtain dividing the room, there’s no one in the adjacent bed. In fact, it doesn’t look like anyone had been using this specific side of the room for ages. 

But it does nothing to calm Splendid’s nerves. Taking in a deep breath, Splendid removes his IV and quickly walks over to the lockers across from his bed to get his stuff. Once Splendid has everything, he suddenly hesitates at the sight of his mask on top of his clothes. 

Flippy is still in the hospital somewhere, and Splendid’s civilian clothes were left behind and possibly discarded back at the museum. 

“Return to your assigned bed.”

Splendid freezes at the monotone voice commanding him, and he looks over at the idling nurse at the door. 

“I… I was just looking for my things… and I’m missing something,” he lies. “Do you think you can take me to the lost and found before I get back to bed.”

The nurse remains quiet for a bit, and Splendid does his best to see through their opaque face shield, but to no avail. This is the main reason Splendid hates the hospital so much and does his best to leave as soon as possible. The staff here isn’t exactly… human as far as Splendid knows. No parts of any hospital staff’s bodies were ever visible to anyone, and Splendid had heard some rumors about them having grey skin, but no one could ever confirm that for him. 

“Affirmative.” 

Splendid follows the nurse down the dim, sterile halls of the hospital. He’s a bit unnerved by the fact the nurse is almost gliding across the floor, and he wonders if they even have feet under their gown. They may not based on the fact that only Splendid’s footsteps are the only ones that echo through the hall. 

“Here. You will return to your room once you have found what has been lost. I must tend to another patient now.”

“Wait. Where’s Splendont?”

“Status: Released without incident. Please return to your room once you have found what has been lost. The doctor will be seeing you soon.” The nurse leaves without another word, leaving Splendid to internally question how Splendont was released so early. 

Shaking Splendont out of his thoughts, Splendid enters the room and starts digging through the clothes in the lost and found. Jeans are the only piece of clothes he finds in his size, and he’s forced to settle with a shirt a size too big. Once he’s done dressing up and slipping on his own sneakers, Splendid combs back his hair with his fingers when he has the sudden realization that he doesn’t have his fake glasses with him. 

_Flippy’s seen me without glasses before, there’s no need to worry about that._

But the thought brings up a question he hasn’t really considered until now. 

Why is Splendid hiding his true identity from Flippy? As far as Splendid knows, Flippy doesn’t even know about the bet; Sniffles had got out of his way to hack all of Flippy’s devices to prevent the veteran from ever coming across anything so much as mentioning Splendid or Splendont. Plus, Flippy doesn’t know Splendid personally as much as Splendid didn’t know Flippy when they first met. He'd save himself a lot of trouble by revealing himself now, so why does the thought give him so much anxiety?

Splendid snaps back into the present moment at the sound of a door opening down the hall, and he hides in the shadows of the lost and found, waiting for the passing nurse to disappear. Once he's sure the coast is clear, Splendid slips into the hall and starts his aimless search for Flippy. 

His floor yields nothing, nor does the floor above it. But after a good half hour of quietly popping into hospital rooms, Splendid finally finds Flippy’s room nestled in the corner of the final floor he checks. 

Slipping inside, Splendid is surprised to see Flippy already dressed and staring out the window, and the veteran is quick to get into a defensive stance at the sound of Splendid closing the door. 

“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about figuring out how to wake you up anymore.” Splendid flashes Flippy a lopsided smile before approaching him. 

Flippy shrinks back a bit, rubbing his arm awkwardly and avoiding direct eye contact with Splendid. 

“Guess not.” 

Something’s wrong, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize what.

“He didn’t kill me, just so you know.” 

Flippy looks surprised by Splendid’s confession, and he finally turns to face him. 

“Then… how…” 

“Collateral damage from his fight with, you know.” He can’t even bring himself to say his own name. 

“Oh, _Splendid…_ ” Flippy’s face twists in disgust as Splendid’s name leaves his mouth, and the undercover hero can only bite his own tongue out of guilt. “That explains a lot.”

“Yeah…” 

An awkward silence engulfs the room, and Splendid is worried that his heart is pounding loud enough for Flippy to hear. After what seems like forever, Flippy finally lets out a sigh and walks away from the window. 

“I want to head out now, but I really don’t want to deal with any nurses we might run into. They kind of freak me out.”

“Glad to know I’m not the only one who feels like that. And there is another way out of here without having to go through the staff, just so you know.”

“Which is?”

Splendid doesn't answer. Instead, he picks up a nearby chair and hurls it out the window. 

“What the hell-SPENCER!" 

Splendid steps out the broken window without a second thought, and it’s only when he starts freefalling does Flippy’s panic finally register in his mind. This isn’t the first floor. Nor is it even a remotely safe floor for any normal person to be able to survive falling from. He’s too paralyzed with terror to even soft his landing, and Splendid ends up body slamming the concrete sidewalk. 

It’s more the surprise of hitting the ground that hurts rather than the actual impact, and the only physical injury that Splendid sustains is a bloody nose, yet his nose isn’t even broken. Stumbling to his feet with a groan and wiping away his blood, Splendid momentarily forgets his panic until he looks up to see Flippy throwing himself out the window. Adrenaline surges through Splendid’s body, and it takes all of his will power not to jump into flight to catch the falling veteran. Instead, Splendid lurches forward and barely manages to catch Flippy in his arms, twirling Flippy around to cushion his fall. 

Splendid’s entire body is trembling alongside his racing heart, and he lets out a shaky breath as he hugs Flippy close. 

“W-Why wou-”

“Don’t you fucking ask me why when you’re the bloody idiot who jumped first!” Flippy pushes away from Splendid before slipping out of his arms and jabbing a finger into Splendid’s chest. “How the hell you survived that fall is a better question.”

Splendid feels his mouth dry with Flippy’s words, and agony seizes his heart when he sees tears streaming down Flippy’s face. Fortunately for Splendid, he doesn’t even get a chance to think of an explanation before Flippy throws his arms around him and starts sobbing into his chest. 

“You fucking idiot, don’t scare me like that,” Flippy mumbles into Splendid’s chest. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, Splendid returns the embrace, gingerly raking his fingers through Flippy's hair, whose beret is long forgotten nearby on the ground. They stay like this for a few minutes until Flippy finally pulls away to wipe away his tears. Maybe it’s the fading adrenaline that pushes Splendid to cup the veteran’s face in his hands, and maybe, just maybe, it’s for that same reason that Splendid places a delicate kiss on Flippy’s forehead. 

_'If it’s truly adrenaline pushing you, why are you no longer trembling? And why does your chest suddenly feel so warm?'_ A voice whispers, but Splendid ignores it for now.

Flippy’s face reddens from the action, and he sheepishly pulls away to pick up his beret. Fixing his hat over his hair, Flippy clears his throat awkwardly. 

“I… I think we should head home now.”

“I’ll walk you home.” Splendid half expects Flippy to reject his proposal, but much to his surprise, Flippy simply nods before taking the lead down the street. 

There is no small talk as the two make their way through the city and towards the suburbs, and Splendid grows more anxious with each streetlight they walk under. Flippy is obviously very bothered by the stunt Splendid pulled, and Splendid is terrified that the veteran is slowly piecing together a reason for his survival. And it doesn’t help that Flippy seems to have some undisclosed hatred towards his true identity. 

“So… you had a rather… negative reaction at the mention of Splendid earlier…”

Flippy comes to a stop under a streetlight, and immediately the atmosphere grows cold. 

“Yes. Yes I did,” he admits, voice void of any comprehensive emotion, and Splendid’s anxiety only spikes. 

“Is it alright to ask why?” Splendid stays in the shadows and watches Flippy run a hand down his face before turning around to face him. He knows Flippy is searching his features for clues, anything, to explain the sudden topic, and he does his best to keep a neutral expression. 

“I want you to picture yourself in this scenario: You live with an inner demon that kills everyone it sees, you have no physical or mental control during these outbursts, but you at the very least do your best to minimize how often this monster comes out. But those times you fail to keep that monster inside, you always wake up the next day in the hospital because everyone’s favorite superhero managed to kill it off before it could cause too much damage. At first, you’re confused and conflicted on how to feel, but as the years pass, it’s routine, and you start to thank this hero for quenching the flame of your inner monster. 

“But then, out of nowhere, without warning, he suddenly decides he’s tired of your antics; he’s done with the bullshit your monster has been plaguing this entire city for years now, and now he wants you gone for good. You don’t have a problem with him hating you, I mean, you deserve all the hatred you get after all. What you have a problem with is the fact he’s using this entire thing as an ego boost against his stupid rival. And don't even get me started on the fact that all of this has been purposely hidden from me for weeks.” Flippy’s body starts to tremble with visible anger, and Splendid flinches when he realizes Flippy’s also crying. 

_He knows about the bet,_ is the only thought echoing in Splendid’s mind as he debates on whether or not to reach out to Flippy right now. 

“And you what the worst part of all of this is?” Flippy chokes out. “I was fine with his stupid plan until you showed up, Spencer. I couldn't have cared less if I was killed off permanently by either of those bastards, but you decided to just waltz into my life out of nowhere. A-and… it’s be… it’s because of you that I finally have a reason to want to stay alive. Now I have a reason to be terrified of Splendid, and it’s all the more reason to hate him.”

Every single word stabs into Splendid’s heart like a piece of Kryptonut, and he doesn’t help himself by approaching Flippy and pulling him into a tight embrace. The warmth of Flippy’s body is scalding, and Splendid has to fight back tears of shame as he desperately clings to the veteran. 

_It feels so wrong-_

“He isn’t going to kill you.”

_To hold you so close-_

“And why is that, Spencer?”

_With you so blissfully unaware-_

“Because I know him,” snaps Splendid, tightening his grip on Flippy. 

_Of who I truly am._

“I know he can be an idiot at times, an absolute brainless fool, but I… I know he isn’t a villain. He would never intentionally kill an innocent civilian, and if anything he’s most definitely in the same boat I was in when I first met you. He thinks he’s going to kill off Fliqpy, but I know the second he learns that you exist, he'll back off. If there's anyone you should be worried about, it should be Splendont, not Splendid. That bastard will stop at nothing to kill you, but I swear on my life that I’ll bite the bullet and let him kill me to spare your life, Flippy.”

_I can’t let him know that you know me._

“Y-You…” Flippy tenses under his hold. “You can’t possibly be that stupid-”

“Maybe I am, but if it means protecting you, I’ll do it without hesitation. And that’s a promise.” Splendid finally lets go of Flippy, placing his hands on Flippy’s shoulders and keeping him at arm’s length. 

Flippy is left gaping at Splendid's words, struggling to find his own voice. His eyes well up as he finally places a hand on Splendid’s cheek, his lips quivering with his words. 

“W-Why? Why would you throw away your life for someone like me?”

“Because I care about you, Flippy, more than I’ve ever cared about anyone else in my entire life. You don’t treat me like everyone else does; you actually make me feel like a normal person. I doubt I’ll ever meet someone like you ever again, and that’s why I can’t lose you, Flippy.”

Splendid’s confession fills the air with a thick tension that neither of them know how to break. Soon both of them become suddenly aware of just how cold the early morning air is when a frigid breeze swept by them. 

“You’re not lying.”

“I’m not.”

They continue to stare at each other in silence, with Flippy’s eyes ghosting over Splendid’s lips for a second much too long. When Flippy looks away, Splendid’s lips suddenly grow cold. 

_"You know why.'_

“I still don’t understand you very much, Spencer. But I suppose that’s part of your appeal.” Flippy brushes Splendid’s hands off his shoulders and turns away. “And… Thank you for being in my life as well; I don’t want to lose you either.”

_'Is it the cold that reddens his cheeks, or is it the same burning sensation you feel in your chest?'_

“Just promise me one thing, Spencer.”

“Anything.”

“That you won’t go too far in protecting me from Splendont. I know he’s a super and all… but I can hold my own too. Promise me that we’ll work together to protect each other.”

_'You’d crawl to the ends of the universe for him.'_

“I promise,” Splendid says. 

Flippy finally allows himself to smile for the first time since yesterday, and in that moment, Splendid internally swears to himself that he’ll do everything in his power to protect that beautiful smile. 

_Because I love him._

_'Yet he hates you,'_ that nagging voice whispers back. 

And despite how much he wants to argue with it, Splendid knows it's right. He's nothing but a fraudulent fool who's fallen hopelessly in love with his poor, unsuspecting enemy turned friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOST MY AUTOMATIC END NOTES AND NOW I'M MAD.


	8. ████████

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The past quite often  
>  repeats itself to those who  
> try to erase it.  
> _   
> 

_Splendid tastes bubblegum on his lips._

_He doesn’t even register that it’s because he’s kissing someone until they pull away, and when they do, he feels his heart stop._

_“Wanda?”_

_She smiles brightly, combing her fingers through his hair playfully. She’s wearing civilian clothing, and her hair is loose from its signature ponytail._

_“What a coincidence that the cute newspaper boy is also my heroic coworker.”_

_“Excuse me?” Splendid steps away from Wanda and looks around. He’s in a suburban neighborhood that he doesn’t recognize, and he can see a city off in the distance. When he turns back to face Wanda, he notes that something seems off about her appearance, but he can't quite put his finger on it. But right now, he's a lot more bothered at the fact she had kissed him. "Wanda, what the hell was that?"_

_Wanda ignores Splendid's distress and cups his face in her hands, and Splendid hisses in surprise. Her hands are ice cold; they feel lifeless._

_"Guess we can finally have a public relationship with our civilian identities."_

_She kisses Splendid once more, her frigid lips sending chills down his spine. When Splendid opens his eyes, Wanda is gone and the landscape has changed. Suddenly, he’s standing on top of a snowy rooftop while a blizzard rages on around him._

_“Those ‘friends’ of yours aren’t trying to help you, Splendid. They’re only hurting you.”_

_Splendid whips around and comes face to face with an agitated Splendont, but what’s more alarming is how young Splendont looks. He can’t be a day over eighteen, and Splendid realizes that it was Wanda's youth that had thrown him off._

_“What are you talking about, Splendont?”_

_“Don’t play dumb with me,” Splendont snaps. “You’ve seen their hypocrisy yourself. The fact of the matter is that you’re too infatuated with that Wanda bitch to even realize that she’s just using you for her own gain. Hell, you practically gave your secret identity away to her when we swore never to do such a thing!”_

_“Infatu- I’ve never been infatuated with Wanda. She’s just a close friend that just happens to be a woman-”_

_“Enough lies, Splendid!” Splendont grabs Splendid’s shirt and pulls him up to his face. “You promised me that ██-”_

_Splendont continues to yell at him, but Splendid can’t hear a single word he’s saying. Static is the only sound that’s coming out of Splendont’s mouth._

_Splendid pulls away from Splendont, and when he does, the world shatters, and he finds himself alone in a burning house, papers fluttering everywhere._

_What the hell is going on?_

_He wanders the room, but can't find anything that explains where he is. There is, however, something awfully familiar about this place, and not in a good way. Splendid can’t explain it, but he has the vague sensation that this house holds negative emotions of sorts. And the burning papers fluttering amongst the smoke and ash-_

_Wait… these aren’t papers._

_Splendid manages to catch one of the burning papers, and he feels his heart stop._

_It's a photo. A photo of him and Splendont…_

_As children._

_There’s a sudden tightness in his chest, and a putrid taste fills his mouth as he starts to gag. It feels like barbed wires are digging into his throat, and he’s left gasping for air in between heaves until he finally collapses onto his knees and vomits out something slimy, yet soft. Through bleary vision, Splendid is left horrified to see a heap of daylilies covered in green vomit and blood sitting in front of him._

_The ceiling caves in, scattering embers everywhere and making Splendid scramble away from the flowers. Staggering to his feet, Splendid searches for an exit, but nothing but flames surround him. The floor creaks to his right, and Splendid whips around to see what’s walking towards him. A dark figure emerges from the shadows, and when they finally step into the light, Splendid freezes._

_It’s_ **_him_ ** _._

_Albeit him when he was younger, but Splendid is starting at a perfect image of his past self._

_He's missing his mask and crying, yet void of any comprehensive emotion._

_Splendid is tempted to reach out towards him, but he only vomits up more daylilies onto the floor. While struggling to stay on his feet, Splendid's younger self bends over and picks up one of the bloody flowers._

_"An eye for an eye; a painful decision for a better life. If I ever find love again, let us hope he isn't around to destroy it once more."_

_"W-What… the hell… are you talking about?"_

_His younger self doesn't answer._

_Instead, he pulls out a green shard and slashes his eyes before plunging the shard into his chest. The injuries mirror themselves onto Splendid, and he quickly realizes it's Kryptonut when he feels bile leaking out of his mouth. He collapses alongside his younger self, and as Splendid’s consciousness starts to fade, he hears the distinct sound of a child crying somewhere within the burning house._

_Then black._

🔥

Splendid wakes up in a cold sweat, hyperventilating and shaking violently. Placing a trembling hand on his chest, Splendid can feel his heart pounding frantically against his fingers. 

What the hell was that dream all about? But more importantly, why did it feel so… familiar?

Letting out a shaky breath, Splendid surveys his surroundings and almost has another panic attack before he remembers what transpired earlier that morning. 

_Right… Flippy let me sleep over…_

Splendid takes a moment to calm himself down before getting up and looking around Flippy’s room. He finds a pile of clothes on the nightstand next to him with a note saying, _“These were the closest to your size I have”_ , and he allows him to smile slightly. But now he’s starting to wonder where Flippy is. From his super hearing alone, Splendid knows he’s alone in Flippy's house, but why would Flippy leave him? 

Sighing, Splendid decides not to delve too deep into the question, and he instead heads to Flippy’s bathroom to both dress up and freshen up. After doing so, Splendid wanders into the living room and decides to wait for Flippy there. Looking around the living room, Splendid is surprised to find the alpaca plush he gave Flippy weeks ago on the coffee table in front of him. 

Reaching over and picking up the plush, Splendid can’t help but smile. He’s honestly surprised Flippy kept this stupid plush, not that he’s complaining. If anything, it makes his heart flutter knowing that Flippy had kept something so insignificant in passing for Splendid. 

The front door’s lock clicks, and Splendid quickly places back the plush before turning around to welcome Flippy back. 

“Hey-” Splendid freezes when he sees Flippy, and the veteran mirrors Splendid’s terror. 

Flippy is covered head to toe in blood, and the sheath of his Bowie knife on his hip is leaking the crimson liquid as well. What’s more worrisome to Splendid is the fact that the veteran’s eyes are still green. Flippy clears his throat awkwardly in a feeble attempt to clear the tension in the air as he shuts his front door. 

“You… You’re up a lot earlier than I thought you’d be.”

“Same.”

“...”

“You… got some blood-”

“I know, Spencer.” Flippy lets out a sigh in frustration as he takes out his handkerchief to wipe off his hands. “Listen, I’m going to go take a quick shower, and then I’ll explain where I was. Also, this is for you.”

Flippy puts out a pair of glasses and envelope from his jacket, both miraculously clean of any blood, and hands them over to Splendid before he disappears into his room.

Splendid stares after Flippy for a solid five minutes, completely dumbfounded. Looking back at the items at hand, he takes a closer look at the lenses of the glasses, and he’s honestly surprised to see that they’re fake. He slips them on without a second thought and proceeds to open the mystery envelope given to him. 

When he pulls out a check for around 4000 dollars, Splendid is floored. 

"It was the most they would give me for you." 

The sofa dips, and Splendid looks over at Flippy. He’s immediately taken aback by the fact Flippy isn’t wearing his usual uniform, but is instead wearing joggers and a plain black shirt. If Splendid wasn’t more interested with the check in hand, he would probably comment on the outfit. 

"The most- Flippy! Where the hell did this money come from?”

Flippy picks up the alpaca plush from his coffee table, fidgeting with it before he speaks up. 

"You were always complaining about how terribly Mole and Lumpy treat you at your job, and taking all things into consideration, I could only assume you weren’t being paid very well. And I was right.” Flippy leans back as he sighs. “So, while you were sleeping, I decided I should have a talk with them about it, and… things kind of got out of hand-”

“You killed them, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t mean to! Fliqpy just kind of… slipped out when Mole started insulting you, and when I came to… Well… I’m just glad Sniffles knows how to forge a signature. He also gave me a pair of your glasses you left behind at work."

“I didn’t know you could snap out of Fliqpy.” It’s true. Splendid honestly thought that once Fliqpy was in control, the only way to bring Flippy back was through death. And the weight of his guilt only intensifies. 

“Well… Sometimes I can. It was more common when I was younger, though nowadays it’s really rare that I regain consciousness.” Flippy glances at Splendid out of the corner of his eye, his grip of the plush visibly tightening. "But that aside, I made Lumpy give you three months of paid time off, the check is proof of it, and I'm going to help you find a new job. I don't want you going back to the Daily Acorn; you deserve better." 

Splendid stays silent. He slips the check back into the envelope and sets it aside before turning his body to face Flippy. 

“You really didn’t have to do any of this for me, Flippy.”

“And you didn’t have to keep spending time with me after our first meeting. Yet here we are.” Flippy flashes Splendid a lopsided smile and tosses the plush aside. “Anyway, I’m honestly surprised you woke up so soon.”

“Why are you so shocked that I woke up early? It’s like ten am right now, and I rarely sleep for longer than three hours.” 

“First of all, that’s super unhealthy. Secondly, I may or may not have spiked that glass of grape juice I gave you this morning with sleeping medicine, if you really want to know.” 

Splendid takes a moment to process Flippy’s confession before he lets out a laugh. 

“That would explain that awful aftertaste.” The playfulness of his voice doesn’t reflect on his features. Splendid leans back with Flippy, sighing heavily. “A nightmare actually woke me up." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

“I don’t feel like it’s super appropriate to talk about the actual content of my nightmare.” _Mostly because it’d give way too much away about my identity._ “But I think what’s bothering me most about it is the fact that I have a feeling that it wasn’t actually a nightmare at all. I think… I was remembering stuff about my past.”

“Like, trauma you forgot you had or…?” 

Splendid shakes his head. 

"It’s a bit more complicated than that. I don’t actually remember a single thing about my life before living here in Happy Tree. The earliest memory I have is when I was around nineteen or so; I can’t recall anything before that, and it's only been recently that I've started to question my background.”

"Wait, let me get this straight: You seriously didn't question your entire lack of a childhood or the fact you practically woke up with amnesia?" 

"Well, no.” Splendid runs a hand through his hair. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but it always felt like I didn’t need to know anything about my past? I mean, no one’s ever really talked about their childhood with me, so how was I supposed to know I was supposed to have one?”

“Spen- Oh my god.” Flippy covers his face and groans loudly. “Where the hell do you think people come from? Everyone has a set of parents,—whether you know them or not is a different question—and you’re telling me you have no idea where the hell you spent an entire nineteen years of your life?”

“Basically.” 

Flippy clenches and unclenches his hands repeatedly before reaching over and grabbing Splendid's face. 

“I can’t begin to describe how much I want to punch you right now.”

“You’re not alone with that sentiment. Someone claiming to be my brother showed up in my life a few years ago, and despite confirming that we are indeed related, he refuses to give me any information about our past together.” Splendid takes one of Flippy’s hands and starts massaging his thumb over the veteran’s palm. “The only thing I want to know is who our parents are, and if they’re still out there somewhere. I don’t remember them at all, but I have the remnant feeling of being loved. And I'd do just about anything to feel that kind of unconditional love once more." 

The room is engulfed by a thick silence, and the only sound that echoes through the entire house is the ticking of a nearby clock. For a moment, Splendid fears that he’s said too much, and that he’s made Flippy uncomfortable, but his worry is quickly replaced with confusion when Flippy cups his face and forces him to look at him.

And that confusion turns to shock when Flippy kisses him. 

It’s a brief moment, couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds, but in those few seconds, Splendid’s heart rate spikes, and his mind blanks. Flippy’s lips are a lot softer than he expected, and he can still taste the faintest bit of iron left on the veteran’s lips. And more importantly, Flippy is warm. It’s a warmth Splendid wants to melt into and hold close, and when Flippy pulls away, Splendid has to retrain himself from pulling him back and kissing him hard enough to suffocate him. 

The two men stare at each other for a solid minute, flushed and panting for air. Flippy runs his thumb over Splendid’s bottom lip, sending shivers down Splendid’s spine. 

“I’ll never be able to love you like your family did, but I can assure you that a family isn’t the only source of unconditional love you can find. And I’m more than willing to step up to the challenge for you.”

Splendid’s heart is pounding frantically against his chest, and butterflies are swarming in his gut. But reality comes crashing down on him when he realizes that Flippy isn’t talking to him. 

He’s talking to Spencer. And those butterflies quickly metamorphosize into hornets. 

“I…” Splendid slips out of Flippy’s hold, and all the warmth in his body slips away as a stabbing pain pierces through his heart. “I’m… ecstatic to know that the feelings I have for you are mutual, Flippy, but…”

“But?” The look of genuine pain in Flippy’s eyes only adds to Splendid’s guilt, and he has to look away to keep himself from crying.

“But things are kind of against us right now, and there’s a lot of things I still haven’t told you yet, and one major thing I just… can’t confess to you right now. Because if I do-”

‘ _If I ever find love again, let us hope he isn't around to destroy it once more.’_

“I have a terrible gut feeling telling me things aren’t going to look very pretty in the near future.” Splendid sighs as he runs his hands over his face. 

Flippy stays quiet for a bit, and Splendid can see the gears of his mind turning. 

"It's Splendont you're worried about, isn't it?" 

♡

Spencer nods. 

Flippy lets out a sigh as leans into Spencer’s chest, and the journalist wraps his arms around him protectively. The warmth between them is something Flippy hasn’t felt in years, and he’d kill just to stay like this forever. He wonders if Spencer feels the same. 

If only those two bastard twins didn’t have such a feud between them, Spencer wouldn’t be so worried. They could be together without worrying about a literal superhuman hunting Flippy down like a hunter does to a wild animal. 

He feels helpless; it’s a helplessness he hasn’t felt since his time during war. 

And he _hates_ it. 

“They say that in times of love or war, people will do anything to succeed,” Flippy says. 

“I have a feeling you’re about to say something really stupid.”

Flippy laughs dryly before pulling away from Spencer, and a serious look crosses his features. 

“I’ve made up my mind. If the only way we can be together is if Splendont is out of the picture, I’m more than willing to be the one who takes him out.”

Flippy knew Spencer would react negatively to his claim, but seeing all the color drain from Spencer’s face and seeing him tense is not the reaction Flippy had expected. Nor is it one that he feels is entirely appropriate. 

“Are you okay?” Flippy tries to reach for Spencer, but Spencer abruptly stands up from the sofa and steps away. 

“I-I… You can’t possibly be this… reckless.” 

Flippy can tell Spencer isn’t truly worried about his safety, but rather his worry seems to be focused on Splendont. And all of Flippy’s previously forgotten suspicion of Spencer suddenly comes flooding back. 

“I think it’s about time I head back home.” Spencer changes the topic so quickly Flippy is surprised he didn't get whiplash from it. 

“I’ll walk you-” Flippy stands up, but Spencer is quick to hold up his hands defensively

“No!” Spencer interrupts. “No, no, you really don’t need to do that. I’ll just… I’ll call you later tonight, and we can talk more about our situation then.”

As much as Flippy wants to call Spencer out for his evasiveness, he bites his tongue. Instead, he walks over to Spencer and steals one last kiss, and he can feel Spencer’s hesitance in returning the gesture. 

“I love you,” Flippy confesses.

Yet Spencer refuses to say it back. Spencer simply gives him a weak smile before slipping out the front door, leaving Flippy alone in his home once more. 

Flippy listens to Spencer’s retreating footsteps, which disappear mere seconds after the front door closes. Curious, Flippy opens his door and steps outside, and to his utter surprise, Spencer is gone. There’s no trace of him on either side of the sidewalk, and Flippy’s suspicion only increases. 

_‘... there’s a lot of things I still haven’t told you yet, and one major thing I just… can’t confess to you right now…’_

Whatever Spencer’s hiding from him, Flippy now knows it has something to do with the super twins. If he's going to love this man, he might as well figure out what Spencer's trying so desperately to hide from him to understand who exactly he's fallen in love with. And Flippy won't stop until he figures out what that secret is; with or without Spencer's consent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention I'm aro/ace? Because I am, and while I love reading romance, it is very painful and difficult for me to personally write romance. I'm lucky my sister and her boyfriend can deal with my constant questioning; bless their souls.


	9. Feeling Prussian Blue | υɘibA ɔixoT ϱniʞɘɘƧ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Keys to the present  
>  lie in the forgotten past  
> where his rage set flame.  
> _   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now's a good time to remember those small details from Chapter 2 & 5 😉

Elevated heart rate. Functioning on less than three hours of sleep almost daily. Surviving a twenty meter drop without so much as a scratch. Fake lensed glasses. Always combing his hair back. Not to mention just how muscular Spencer is for a simple journalist. He’d never mentioned having a workout routine, so the fact that he was built very strong only added to the mystery. 

Drumming his pencil on his desk, Flippy lets out a sigh of frustration as he ruffles up his hair. What did this all mean? The answer is right in front of him, yet he’s still missing a crucial detail to bring all of this together. And what did the super twins have to do with any of this?

“I’ve never felt more like an idiot in my entire life,” Flippy murmurs to himself. 

Taking in a deep breath, Flippy decides it's best to drop the subject for now, and he shoves his notepad into a random drawer in his desk. He picks up his stamp and starts marking the pile of books he has in front of him, but it does nothing to distract him from Spencer. 

It’s been almost an entire month since they started talking, and Flippy is honestly surprised how fast he fell for the man. Time really did fly by when he spent time with Spencer; be it at the café or at the park, Flippy found himself impatiently waiting for his lunch break alongside the weekend. They didn’t really talk about anything serious, aside from their first few meetups, and Flippy was more than happy to lend a ear for Spencer to vent about his work life. They grew incredibly close within this past month, and for the first time in years, Flippy finally has someone who treats him like a human being. 

Maybe that’s why he fell so quickly. Spencer’s good looks definitely also factored into Flippy’s feelings for him, but what matters most to Flippy is certainly the unrestrained kindness and sense of normality Spencer gives him when they’re together. 

And all of it could suddenly disappear with whatever secret Spencer is hiding from him. They had talked the night after Flippy confessed his feelings, but Spencer was adamant in keeping his lips sealed. He reiterated his own feelings for Flippy, yet not once did the words _‘I love you’_ ever leave his mouth, and it stung much more than Flippy would have liked. Spencer promised they could be together once he figured out what to do about Splendont—he conveniently didn’t mention Splendid, only adding to Flippy’s list of questions—and he’d also made Flippy swear that he wouldn’t confront Splendont without him. 

_‘He’s killed off people permanently before, and I don’t want you to be giving yourself away as an easy target for him-’_

_‘I can take care of myself-’_

_‘You don’t know Splendont, Flippy! He’s not someone to take risks around.’_

_'Well, then help me understand him so we can take him out together!'_

_'Things are so much more complicated than you know, Flippy, and killing Splendont is a can of worms I can't begin to explain.'_

Spencer said nothing more in relation to Splendont, and it only confirmed one of Flippy's major suspicions.

He's protecting Splendont. 

_But_ **_why_ ** _?_

Sighing, Flippy pushes away his books in favor of laying his head down on his desk. Is he really this universally hated to the point where the actual universe has to complicate every positive aspect of his life? 

It’s all Fliqpy’s fault. If it weren’t for his murderous split personality, he could have a normal life. If it weren’t for Fliqpy, the bet between the brothers would have never happened, and maybe he could have met Spencer much earlier on in his life. They could have been together, living a domestic life without a worry in the world. 

But it’s his own fault for enlisting for that stupid war all those years ago. Fliqpy is just an excuse for his true plight; the fact that he had so foolishly allowed himself to enlist in the army for a college degree that he couldn’t even use due to his PTSD alongside Fliqpy. 

Flippy digs his nails into his arms as he feels tears slipping out. But he doesn’t get a chance to continue his moping. 

The sound of the front door opening is enough to pull Flippy out his head, and he quickly wipes away his tears before clearing his throat. 

“Hello-” Flippy freezes. All his previous despair is immediately replaced with unbridled fury, and he clenches his hands into fists as he locks eyes with the person entering the library. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

“What’s with all the sudden hostility, Flippert?” The redhead stops in front of Flippy’s desk, and Flippy wants nothing more than to slap that shit eating grin off his stupid face. 

“Don’t act like you’re not the most common source of the flip outs I’ve had for the past three years, you sick bastard! I swear, I just have to catch sight of your stupid red hair or red frames to know Fliqpy is going to escape the second I lose sight of you entirely. For a split second I thought you’d finally left me alone after all these years, but that was all short lived the second I saw your stupid face at the museum that day.”

“What can I say: a month without Fliq is a month without fun.” Simon winks, and Flippy can feel his blood beginning to boil. “But I’m not here for Fliqpy this time around. I actually need a book-”

“What the hell makes you think I’m going to help you?”

Simon doesn’t answer. Instead he pulls out a lighter and string of firecrackers, and Flippy groans loudly. 

“How Fliqpy has never managed to kill you is a mystery beyond my comprehension.” 

“What can I say, I know how to slip through a crowd very easily.” Simon casually seats himself on Flippy’s desk, succeeding in irking the veteran even further. “Now, I need a book written by a toxicologist titled _‘Poisons of the World’_ -”

“I’m going to have to ask you why the hell you want such a book, good Sir,” Flippy says sarcastically. 

“The less questions you ask, the better things will go for you.” Simon flicks the lighter on, forcing Flippy to bite his tongue. 

Flippy enters the book title into his computer, and much to his personal relief, the book isn’t in stock. 

“Well, I’m sorry to inform you that we don’t carry that specific book at this library. The closest location that has it is two cities over, so if you would kindly leave me alone without causing such a ruckus, that would be wonderful.”

“And leave without hearing what you have to say about your impending demise?”

Flippy twitches. 

“What was that?” Flippy stands up and gets in Simon’s face, an annoyed glare on his features. 

Simon lets out a low chuckle as he slips off Flippy’s desk and wanders the nearby bookshelves. 

“You must know about that bet Splendid and his dear brother made all those weeks ago. I know for a fact you’re sharper than most people in this city, so it would only be a matter of time before you figured out what all that gossip was about.” Simon smirks as he pulls out a comic from one of the shelves, and he parades it back over to Flippy’s desk. 

Flippy sighs as he stares down at the illustration of Splendid placed down in front of him, and he knocks the comic off his desk without a second thought. The slight smile that twitches at the corner of Simon’s lips doesn’t go unnoticed by Flippy, and the veteran decides to push his luck. 

“Please, Splendid is as pathetic as they come.” Flippy eyes Simon, and the positive reaction he gets is more than enough for Flippy to know what words to pick next. “But from what I've heard through small talk is that most people think he’s the most likely victor between the twins. Yet I’ve also heard that Splendont is far more dangerous and unpredictable. But what does any of that even matter? Either way, I’m going to end up dead.”

“A real shame,” Simon murmurs. There’s a pensive look behind his glasses as he stares down at Flippy’s desk, and it reminds Flippy a lot of Spencer’s own-

_Wait just a minute._

Flippy furrows his eyebrows as he looks over Simon’s features much more meticulously, and much to his shock, he realizes that Simon looks nearly identical to Spencer. Right down to the same combed back hair style, yet it’s mirrored, just like his colors in comparison to Spencer… And just like how Splendid and Splendont are mirrors of each other. 

_Splendid and Splendont have bad blood between them… And Spencer himself told me that he has an estranged relationship with his own brother… And he’s never once mentioned that brother by name…_

But before Flippy can put together the final pieces of the puzzle, Simon smiles maliciously as he locks eyes with Flippy, who’s quick to put on a neutral expression.

“What if there’s a way I can help you?”

“I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

“You wound me, Flippy.” Simon places a hand on his chest in a dramatic fashion, and Flippy merely rolls his eyes. “But sincerely, considering how much you seem to despise the twins, especially Splendid, how’s about I give you something that’ll help with deterring them for a bit longer?”

“I swear if you give me another obsidian knife, I’m going to gut you with it.” 

“Obsidian isn’t nearly as powerful as this.” Simon pulls out a sheathed knife from his pocket and holds it out to Flippy, who hesitates. “Take it before I regret giving this to you.”

Flippy eyes the sheath cautiously before taking it from Simon. He pulls out a small dagger, and what immediately catches his attention is the blade of the dagger itself. It isn’t a standard metal blade, but rather a transparent, green blade that seems to be radiating a faint neon glow. It’s almost beautiful in a strange, twisted way, however, Flippy can’t help but feel nausea looking at it. Despite its relatively small size, it feels heavy and dangerous, and Flippy quickly slides it back into its sheath without an ounce of hesitation. 

“The only known weakness those two share is Kryptonut, which is precisely the exact gemstone you’re holding right now. And a word of advice, Splendid is the one you should be most worried about.”

“And why’s that?” Flippy clips the sheath onto his pants before narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms. 

But before Simon says anything, the two are interrupted by Toothy entering the library. The poor mailboy freezes at the entrance, and Flippy lets out a sigh before walking around his desk to approach him, ignoring the feeling of Simon’s eyes burning into the back of his skull.

“Hello, Toothy. What are you doing back here? You already delivered mail here earlier.”

“I actually forgot this book delivery for Sniffles, and my superior made me come back to give it to you.” Toothy pulls out a leather bound book from his satchel and hands it over to Flippy, who fiddles with the tag that has Sniffles’ name on it. 

“Huh… This book wasn’t supposed to get here until next month. Thank you, Toothy.” Flippy turns around to head back to his desk, but he ends up bumping straight into Simon’s chest. “What the hell-”

“Where did this book come from?” Simon tries to pull the book out of Flippy’s hold, but the veteran rips the book away and backs up. 

“Why the hell do you care?”

“My mot…” Simon cuts himself off. “ _Someone_ I knew helped write the contents of that book, and the last time I saw this book was when I was a preteen. It went missing right after I… _She_ tragically died.”

So now Simon is hiding important information. Just like Spencer. But unlike Spencer, Simon is arrogant, Flippy knows that if he can word his sentences just right, he can get answers to his questions. 

“Oh really? So, you know what this language is?” Flippy turns the book so that title is facing Simon, and the redhead shakes his head. 

“It’s not a real language, but it is a hybrid of Theban, the witches' alphabet, and a Vigenère cipher. But enough about it. It’s impossible to break the cipher without the keyword, which only I remember, so hand over the book.” Simon steps forward, but Flippy holds out his hand. 

“I’ll only give it up if you explain to me what the hell you have against Splendid.”

Simon raises an eyebrow. 

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re easy to read, Simon. I have my reasons to hate Splendid and his stupid brother, but each time I berated Splendid, you seemed unreasonably content for a simple civilian. I know for a fact that no normal person would hold such a strong hatred for Splendid, so fess up.” 

Simon is visibly taken aback by Flippy’s bluntness, and he does his best to hide his insecurity behind a smirk, but it does nothing to fool Flippy. 

“Please, anyone with a brain knows that Splendid is a terrible hero. He kills people more often than he saves them-”

“Actually, he’s been getting a lot better these days.”

Flippy and Simon look over at Toothy lingering by a bookshelf near the entrance, and Simon narrows his eyes as he takes a step towards the mailboy.

“What the hell was that?”

“You leave him alone,” Flippy warns Simon as he steps in front of Toothy. “I know your anger isn’t derived from his popularity, it’s something much more personal.”

Simon’s façade falters as his expression darkens. 

“You want personal? Fine.” Simon begins to circle Flippy and Toothy, forcing Flippy to match his pacing to keep Toothy out of his line of sight. “Splendid is nothing more than a man of lies and false promises. He’ll charm you into vulnerability, he’ll promise you undying love and devotion, and more importantly, he’ll make you feel like you’re his entire world. But the second someone new shows up into his life, he’ll leave you for dead just because his new friends don’t like who you are as a person. They never bother to understand the bond you two share, or the fact you practically had to kill off your family in order to escape with him to have a better life together. Oh no, they just don’t like the fact that you don’t fit into their personal definition of being a ‘ _hero’_.”

Simon comes to halt, and Flippy can see that his façade is cracking. It’s only a matter of a few more carefully selected words for that façade to shatter entirely and confirm all of Flippy’s suspicions. 

Just one more jab.

“And why should I trust your word? Who’s to say you aren’t the real villain?”

Finally, _Simon_ snaps. 

“The only thing I ever wanted from him was the same level of unconditional love he loved me with when we were children! He was the only family member who treated me like my own person; he’s the only person who ever loved me to any degree. He promised to always be there for me no matter what, but then he decided to choose a group of strangers over his own twin brother. And he had the **_nerve_ **to erase his entire memory so he could forget about the mistake of his brother that the world made me out to be!” 

_Bingo_.

Tears start cascading down his face as he snaps his head back towards Flippy, who immediately places a hand on the hilt of his new dagger. 

“Are you satisfied? Now hand it over!” The redhead tries to snatch the book once more, but Flippy’s reflexes are faster. 

“That’s enough!” Flippy unsheathes the Kryptonut dagger and swiftly stabs it through his glasses and straight into his left eye, earning a horrifying shriek from the redhead as he recoils from the attack. Flippy ushers Toothy away as he witnesses the redhead gasping for air as he hacks up neon green bile, and that’s all Flippy needs to confirm everything. 

“I’m sorry to say that I can’t do that, Splendont.”

Splendont instinctually looks up at Flippy as his name slips out the veteran’s lips, and he scowls. He digs his fingers into his bleeding eye and rips it out without so much as a wince. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before flicking his eye to Flippy’s feet, and it’s then that Flippy realizes that the tip of the Kryptonut dagger had broken off in Splendont’s crimson eye. 

Grimacing, Flippy looks back up at Splendont, who staggers to his feet with a furious expression on his bloody face. 

“You’re lucky you’re just the guinea pig.”

“What?”

Splendont doesn’t answer. Instead, he breaks through the ceiling of the library and disappears into the horizon. 

Flippy stares after Splendont for a solid minute before he lets out a shaky breath. He turns away from the hole in the ceiling and walks back to his desk, clutching the book tightly to his pounding chest. He can’t believe he just did that without losing control. 

"So… how are you feeling?"

Flippy glances over at Toothy cowering behind a nearby bookshelf before looking down at the bloody Kryptonut blade in his hand. He clutches the dagger’s handle in his fist, his body trembling slightly as tears start pooling at the corners of his eyes. 

_I know why you’re protecting him now. I know everything now._

"Splendid. In more ways than one.”

☠

It’s two am now, and the Doctor is starting to grow worried.

Splendont had arranged a meeting between them at around midnight, and yet a whole two hours later the redhead is nowhere to be seen. 

Huffing out a frosty sigh, the Doctor looks down at their clipboard and starts writing down observations of the area. The samples Splendont had managed to track down had been contaminated, eliminating any chance of isolating the neurotoxin they’re both after. After weeks of grave robbing and other unethical attempts to retrieve another sample set, Splendont proposed he take them to the location where he killed off Splendid’s Super Squad to look for a source of the neurotoxin. 

It’s a bit daunting being here knowing that an entire group of superheroes met their demise in this area. They remember arriving to work that day and seeing their coworkers surrounding the small television in the breakroom, gawking in horror at the news that Splendont had managed to permanently kill off four superheroes. Why Splendont did such a thing is still a mystery to this day, and the Doctor themselves is no closer to understanding the enigma that is Splendont even after an entire month of working together. 

“I’m honestly surprised you’re still here.”

The Doctor turns around to see Splendont descending from the sky and onto the snowy ground, a rather defeated look sprawled on his normally cold features. 

“I didn’t exactly want to risk getting killed for incompetence.” 

Splendid scoffs. 

“Good. Now come. I’ll show you where things went down.” Splendid begins stomping through the snow with the Doctor following closely behind. They reach the edge of a nearby lake, and Splendont squats down to dust off frost from a wilted plant. “I remember snapping off a branch of this bush and using that to kill everyone. But I still don’t understand why it killed them; this isn’t even a rare kind of plant.”

The Doctor looks around and focuses their attention to a nearby stream that seems to be the water source of the dead plant. 

“Maybe it wasn’t simply the plant, but rather something the plant itself ingested.” They walk over to the stream and pull out a test tube. “We have to consider other factors, such as the water that hydrates it and even the soil that it grows in. Plants are notorious for absorbing all sorts of toxic things into their cells.”

After the Doctor is done collecting a water sample, they return to the dead plant, and Splendont speaks up. 

“I was meaning to ask you to explain how resurrection works.”

“We still don’t know much about how resurrection works, but one of the most plausible theories proposed is that it depends on surviving nerve cells.” The Doctor starts digging through the snow to get a soil sample as Splendont levitates nearby. “Nerve cells are what make up our brains and nervous system; they’re the parts of our bodies that are conscious and feel. From what we’ve seen in the bodies of the permanently deceased, every single nerve cell in their body was completely obliterated. From this observation came the theory: If at least a single nerve cell is left intact after someone’s death, then they will be revived the next day. If not, well, we have the bodies to prove otherwise.” 

“And I’m assuming that this neurotoxin has the ability to destroy these nerve cells?”

“The prefix _neuro_ does refer to the nervous system, so you’re not wrong. But most neurotoxins need over twenty four hours to theoretically kill someone, and its effects are nullified the second midnight rolls around.” They finish scooping a soil sample into a plastic bag and then turn their attention to the dead plant. “What makes this unknown neurotoxin so dangerous—and equally impressive—is its ability to infect nerve cells without a handful of hours. From my own speculation, I believe that time is around three hours, leaving its victims with paralysis that ultimately kills them.”

“And what do you know about magic?”

The Doctor perks up with Splendont’s question.

“What about magic do you want to know about?”

“Everything you know about it.”

“Well for starters, magic is a rather complicated practice, and many of my fellow scientists have done their best in understanding it further than simply following the directions of magic users, but it’s been to no avail. It’s much like certain aspects of astrophysics or even quantum physics: you can never truly understand how to understand either subject to an absolute certainty, but we can still understand elements or even some rules that can’t be broken.” The Doctor breaks off a small branch of the plant and stores it away. “One thing most scientists agree on is that the ability to be resurrected is a curse that was placed on this world. By whom and why, we can never be certain, and most people don’t really care to know.”

“So theoretically speaking, could it be possible to use magic in place of a neurotoxin to kill someone off permanently?”

“Regular magic, highly unlikely. You’d have to delve into dark magic for that, which as we all know, has gone extinct. The last user sealed away all the secrets of dark magic into a book written in code, and that book has since been lost.” The Doctor finally stands up and looks over Splendont, who is now standing. “Now, if you don’t mind me asking, why is it that you killed off all those superheroes?”

Splendont stays quiet. Then, a sadistic smile finds it way onto his lips as his features darken. 

“They weren’t my target. They only died because they got in my way and helped him escape.”

The Doctor feels their blood run cold with Splendont’s confession.

Splendont notices how they tense, and he lets out a low laugh as he starts walking back towards the forest. 

"Flippy is just an excuse for me to be acquiring this poison without raising suspicion, good Doctor. I mean, killing him off is also an added bonus that’ll help raise my image in that stupid city, but we both know who my real target is." 

The Doctor suddenly becomes acutely aware of the frigid temperatures surrounding them despite how warmly they’re dressed. Their gloved hands feel frostbitten, and they tighten their grip on their bag. 

"What did he do to deserve this, if you don't mind me asking?" 

Splendont begins to laugh hysterically, tears streaming down his face as he rakes a hand through his hair. He turns around and gives the mortified Doctor a crazed smile, and in that moment, his true face slips through. 

“Who do you think trapped me in that mirror?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Plot Twists** was tagged for a reason.


	10. Triple Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A boiling fury,_   
>  _melted heart, and frozen mind;_   
>  _one will not survive._   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was an absolute **BITCH** to write, and I almost lost my mind after rewriting it like 25 times. 
> 
> Anyway, do be sure to check out these two songs I've been listening to on loop for the past month that really capture the vibe of this story. 
> 
> ♠[Song that I feel describes the vibe of Splendid and Splendont's rocky relationship perfectly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr-mO1o1uHk&ab_channel=Lin-ManuelMiranda-Topic)  
> ♠[Song that really captures the overall theme of this fic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-N8KRjAPs4&ab_channel=spring.rolls)
> 
> Might fuck around and make a writing playlist later on, who knows

_"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice messaging system-"_

Splendid inhales sharply as he waits for the beep.

"Hey. I'm starting to get worried about you, Flip. You haven't shown up for work in these past few days, and you've been ignoring my calls ever since… that day." Splendid lets out a sigh as he combs a hand through his hair. "Look… I honestly don't know what I've done to upset you, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd just call and tell me so I can know where to start apologizing. You know I'd never intentionally upset you, so please… just call me when you have the time." 

Splendid hangs up and bangs his head against the metal of the transmission tower he’s sitting on. It’s been almost an entire week since he’s last heard from Flippy, and the lack of response is starting to worry him. And it doesn’t help that he hasn’t heard anything from Splendont since their encounter at the museum. 

He lets out another sigh in frustration before he gets up and starts walking—or rather levitating—out onto the open sky. 

He has all the time in the world now since he quit his job at the Daily Acorn, yet no one to spend it with anymore. Sure, saving people provided a temporary distraction, but aside from that, he has nothing else to do. He had contemplated visiting Flippy’s house, but he quickly discarded the idea. If Flippy isn’t answering his calls, then he wouldn’t be happy seeing Splendid at his front door. 

The sound of his phone ringing snaps him out of his mind, and for a split second, Splendid feels a rush of anxious excitement as he pulls out his phone. But much to his disappointment, it’s merely Petunia calling him. Letting out a sigh of defeat, Splendid drops his head before answering the phone with some reluctance. 

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you, Petunia.”

“Well you did instruct me to wait a month’s time before contacting you, and it’s been over a month for about a week. Now get down from where you are, we need to talk business.”

Splendid furrows his brows in confusion by Petunia’s last statement until he hears a whistle coming from underneath him. Looking down, Splendid is pleasantly surprised to see Petunia on the sidewalk waving at him, and he quickly hangs up his phone before descending to meet with her. 

“You look like garbage,” Petunia immediately says. 

“Wow, not even a ‘hello’ or something more civilized?” Splendid rolls his eyes as he speaks, but there is no venom in his voice. “I’ve just been… occupied with something personal.”

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that it has to do something with Splendont, but that asshole aside, we need to discuss your upcoming book signing at the local comic store." Petunia taps the notepad in her hand before continuing. "I've already booked the day and time you'll be showing up, which will be next Friday at noon. I’ve also been contacted by the Daily Acorn requesting an interview with you for this Wednesday in regards to your improved performance in saving people.”

Now that catches Splendid’s attention.

“Improved performance?” He echoes back. 

“Well, yeah. These past two weeks have been a record in terms of you not accidentally killing a single person while saving them, and I’m not the only one impressed by that fact. Everyone wants to know what is prompting these improvements from you, me included.” Petunia tilts her head in question, and Splendid clears his throat awkwardly. 

“I mean… I don’t _think_ anything’s really changed in how I approach saving people. Ironically, I’ve been really distracted this whole past week with… someone-”

“Hold the phone,” Petunia interrupts. “Are you talking about Splendont?”

“He’s part of the problem I have on hand, but I’m not focused on him.” Splendid fiddles with the ends of his mask as he averts his gaze. “I wouldn’t call them a crush per say, since the feeling is mutual-”

Petunia slaps a hand over Splendid’s mouth before he can say anything else and pulls his face down to hers. 

“You’re _dating_ someone? And you didn’t even bother to mention it to me?! Do you have any idea how massive a news story about you finding a partner would be-”

“Yes, and that’s exactly why I didn’t say anything to anyone.” Splendid pulls away from Petunia and lets out a groan. “Look, I don’t want to talk about them right now. What else do you need to tell me?”

“Fine. The only other thing I should mention is that people are starting to question whether or not you’ve forgotten about that bet you made with Splendont back at the Con. You know, the one-”

“With Flippy. I know.” Splendid’s face twists in discomfort at the memory, and he feels a pang of guilt pierce his heart. “I was meaning to talk to Splendont about that, actually.”

“You’re not backing out, are you?”

“I am and for good reason.”

“W-Wha- You can’t possibly do that! Splendont is going to have a fucking heyday with you accepting defeat!”

“I’m not accepting defeat, Petunia-”

“Tch, then what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Petunia visibly tenses as she stares behind Splendid, and Splendid feels his heart skip a beat at the sound of his twin’s voice. Taking in a deep breath, Splendid turns around to face Splendont, who looks equally displeased to see Splendid. 

“Petunia, if you'd mind.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” is all Petunia says before she runs off in the opposite direction, leaving the twins to their own devices. 

“You’ve been awfully quiet this past week,” Splendid begins. “I’m beginning to suspect something fishy is going on with you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I _not_ supposed to be figuring out how to kill off a man permanently?” Splendont places a hand on his chest as he gets in Splendid’s face. “If anything, you’re the one who’s been ‘awfully quiet’ about how you’re going to win this deal. Or is that why you want to forfeit this deal, because you can’t figure out how to do so?”

“That isn’t why I don't want to go through with any of this, Splendont.” Splendid pushes Splendont away and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “I didn’t know anything about Fliqpy before this stupid bet, and it’s only recently that I learned that Flippy and that thing are two different people inhabiting the same body. You know it’s against my moral code to purposely kill off an innocent civilian-”

“You and your stupid moral code. And what the hell is so innocent about that lunatic? Have you met the bas-"

"I have, and I'll have you know that out of all the people in this damn city, Flippy is the most genuine and amicable person I've ever encountered. Sure he has a major split personality disorder that everyone fears to the point of hysteria, but Fliqpy alone isn't enough to justify killing Flippy." 

"So you're throwing in the towel because of your stupid morals?" 

"I'm not throwing in a towel; what I'm trying to get across to you is that I'm done playing your ridiculous games. I’m not going to snuff out a perfectly innocent life for the sake of trying to prove anything to anyone, especially someone as amoral as you.”

The second the word ‘amoral’ leaves Splendid’s mouth, Splendont’s entire demeanor shifts. 

“What did you just call me?”

"Why the hell are you so surprised that I'd refer to you as amoral? It's a fact; if it weren't for me dedicating my life to saving civilians, you wouldn't be bothered to help anyone, and it's all because everything you do is an attempt to outdo me. Do you know who you actually are? Because I don’t. All you do is act like my broken reflecti-”

Splendid is cut off by Splendont’s fist colliding with his face, and he stumbles back in both shock and confusion, holding a hand to his bleeding nose. 

Splendont is trembling violently, tears soaking his mask as they stream down his face uncontrollably. He’s starting to hyperventilate, but his gasping sobs quickly turn into pathetic laughter as his crying intensifies. 

“You didn’t actually forget anything, did you?” Splendont chokes out. “Or is it that your hate for me is the only thing you remember?”

“I may not remember memories, but I do know that I never hated you, Splendont. I offered you friendship the moment you showed up in my life, and you had the audacity to scoff it off like it was some kind of poison.” Splendid wipes away blood with the back of his hand before taking a step forward. “And despite all the bullshit you’ve put me through after all these years, I still fucking care about you, you dense idiot. I'm just trying to protect you from Flippy's retaliation by calling off this stupid bet that should never been made.” 

Splendont flinches with Splendid’s confession, and Splendid decides to throw caution to the wind and extends his clean hand towards Splendont. 

“Things don’t have to keep going like this, Splendont. I understand that whatever I did in the past hurt you tremendously, and it’s a misfortune that I don’t remember what I did in order to apologize to you. But please, please, understand that I am more than willing to forgive everything you’ve done to me if you would just please explain what I did and how I can properly make it up to you.”

Splendont stares at Splendid with trembling lips, and Splendid takes one more step towards him, hoping that he can get through to him with just a few more words. 

“Dont, please, I just want my brother back.”

_Wrong set of words._

Splendont’s eyes widen with a mixed look of horror and anger as he steps away from Splendid, who furrows his brows in confusion. The redhead has ceased crying, but he’s still shaking with what Splendid can only assume is rage, and he snaps. 

“I am not falling for the same dirty trick you used to trap me in that mirror all those years.”

“This isn’t a trick-”

“ **_LIAR!_ **” Splendont shrieks. Before Splendid can react, Splendont rips out a nearby streetlight and swings it at Splendid, sending the blue hero crashing through several buildings. 

Splendid lands in the middle of a bustling restaurant, and screams of terror echo throughout the people as Splendid struggles to stabilize his spinning mind. As he composes himself, Splendont comes crashing through the ceiling, and Splendid barely manages to evade Splendont’s laser vision slashing through the restaurant erratically. As he scrambles to find a way out, a fallen mirror near his feet catches his attention, and he snatches it up without a second thought. The moment Splendont looks up at him, Splendid lifts up the mirror and effectively bounces back the redhead’s laser vision. 

Splendont lets out an agonizing scream, and Splendid takes the opportunity to sucker punch Splendont across the street and straight into a jewelry store. The alarm system starts going haywire as Splendont staggers to his feet, leaning himself on a broken display case. 

Splendid cautiously descends into the store, though he keeps his distance as Splendont starts gagging violently. He watches Splendont collapse onto his knees and hack up green bile, and it’s only when he looks over the broken display case does Splendid realize what’s going on. 

“Guess I was wrong about jewelers no longer carrying Kryptonut jewelry.” 

Splendont glares up at Splendid through his disheveled hair, and Splendid can only give him a sympathetic sigh. 

“Splendont, you’re only hurting yourself further with all this fighting. You don’t have to do any of this, please-”

“You drove me to this, you imbecile! You lied to me, and I refuse to fall for any of your false promises ever again!” Splendont rips off his singed mask before he grabs the Kryptonut necklace dangling off the display case and lunges himself onto Splendid. He lets out an animalistic scream as he tries to plunge the gem into Splendid’s chest, but he’s held back by Splendid struggling to hold back his arm. 

The gem is too close for Splendid’s comfort, and he can already feel his strength slipping away. The taste of bile starts creeping its way up his throat, but before he succumbs to the effects of the Kryptonut, Splendid musters all his strength into his legs and kicks Splendont off of himself. But before he can do anything, Splendid feels someone grab the back of his jacket and soon he finds himself being flung back out on the street. 

Splendid is left dazed from the impact, and when he comes to, his heart stops. 

“Took you long enough to show up, Private,” Splendont says as he limps his way out of the store. “Do you need help finishing off the General-”

“I can handle him myself, soldier.” Fliqpy holds out a black blade in front of Splendont to keep him from coming any closer. “This ends here, once and for all.”

Splendid backs up as Fliqpy begins approaching him, and he catches Splendont grinning maliciously in the background. And in the blink of an eye, the redhead disappears from the area, leaving Splendid to deal with Fliqpy alone. 

Splendid takes in a deep breath before getting into a defensive stance, mentally cursing the universe for putting him into this situation. He’s easily able to sidestep all of Fliqpy’s swings, which only add to the veteran’s fury. 

“Why aren’t you fighting back?”

“I’m not going to hurt Flippy.”

“The man who keeps me trapped in his subconscious, is it? Well, I can tell you that his hatred for you is so strong that I can still feel it despite him being out cold right now.”

Splendid comes to a halt with Fliqpy’s words, and Fliqpy seizes the opportunity to lacerate the hero’s chest. Splendid lets out a hiss in pain as he stumbles back, and he glares up at Fliqpy, who chuckles to himself. 

“You and your goons are the reason Sneaky and Mouse are gone, and I won’t stop fighting until you’re dead once and for all. And I can assure you that Flippy feels the same.”

“You’re wrong. You don’t even seem to know who the hell I am!”

Fliqpy merely scoffs before charging Splendid and tackling him to the ground. In the scuffle, he manages to slash off Splendid’s mask as he tries to gouge out one of the hero’s eyes. 

“This is for my fallen soldiers, you rotten General!” 

Fliqpy tries to stab Splendid, but Splendid grabs the blade and crushes it in his fist, ignoring the injury he sustains in the process. But it does nothing to stop Fliqpy, who resorts to wrapping his hands around Splendid’s neck in a desperate attempt to asphyxiate him. 

But the moment the two lock eyes, Fliqpy freezes. His grip around Splendid’s neck loosens, and Splendid watches Fliqpy’s eyes dart around his face intently. A look of recognition slowly overtakes Fliqpy’s features, and for a split second, a pair of green irises shine through Fliqpy’s golden eyes. 

At first, Splendid doesn’t understand what’s happening. It’s only when he catches a glimpse of his fallen mask at his side does he have the realization. 

Fliqpy has never seen him without his mask on. 

_But Flippy has._

Seeing an opportunity, Splendid reaches up and caresses Fliqpy’s face before speaking up with a raspy voice. 

“Flippy, I know you’re in there somewhere, and I know you recognize me. Of course you would after spending so much time with me. You snapped out of this back at the museum, and I know you can do it again right now.”

“I-I… You’re talking nonsense,” Fliqpy tries to rebuttal, but the crack in his voice is enough for Splendid to know his words are working. Fliqpy’s hands start to tremble against Splendid’s neck as tears pool in his eyes. 

“I don’t know what I did wrong, but whatever it is, we can work through it together. You can hate me all you want right now, but in order to do so you need to snap out of Fliq.”

“Shut up! I’m not falling for your tricks-”

“The only lie I ever told you was my name. Look me in the eyes and tell me that I’m wrong, Flippy.”

Fliqpy’s eyes widen with Splendid’s words, and Splendid can see flashes of green fighting for dominance in the veteran’s irises as they study his face. He’s crying uncontrollably now, and a few stray tears fall onto Splendid’s cheek. Finally, the veteran releases Splendid from his grasp and gets off him, stumbling away from Splendid before collapsing onto the asphalt while sobbing quietly. 

Splendid lets out a shaky breath before standing up and walking over to the sobbing man, and when the veteran looks up, Splendid lets out a sigh of relief to see a pair of bleary green eyes glaring at him. 

“Why is it so hard to fucking hate you?” Flippy chokes out. 

Splendid doesn’t answer. Instead, he gets on his knees in front of Flippy and hugs him close, ignoring the fact that Flippy is practically sobbing into the open wound on his chest. Unfortunately for them, the bittersweet moment is abruptly cut short. 

“I knew you were lying to me.”

Splendid feels Flippy flinch, and he immediately stands up to shield Flippy from Splendont, who is hovering above them. 

“I wasn’t lying about protecting you, Splendont-”

“First, you chose your stupid super friends over me, and now a literal psychopath? You really do hate me, don’t you?”

“I don’t-”

“Enough lies!” Splendont screams before diving at the two. 

Splendid immediately throws himself over Flippy, who in turn wraps his arms around the hero. But Splendont never reaches them. 

A single gunshot echoes through the city and is swiftly followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. 

Splendid looks over his shoulder, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of Splendont shot dead behind him. Flippy lets go of him and stands up, prompting Splendid to mirror his action, and it’s then that Splendid sees the pistol Flippy is holding. Flippy catches Splendid staring, and he wipes his eyes before unloading a handful of green bullets from the pistol. 

“He gave me a Kryptonut blade the other week that chipped, so I decided to file it down into pellets small enough to use as bullets. I’m just glad I decided to have my carry on with me today.” Flippy pockets the bullets and sheaths his pistol before letting out a sigh. “Don’t think that any of this changes the fact that I’m still pissed at you.”

“I’m just happy to see you again.” Splendid gives Flippy a lopsided smile, and he chuckles softly when Flippy blushes. 

“You and your stupid face and personality,” Flippy mutters under his breath. 

But before either of them can continue on speaking, the sound of Splendont’s ringing cell phone catches their attention. Splendid glances at Flippy, who gives him an uneasy look, before walking over and digging out the phone from Splendont’s dead body. The caller is merely named “Doctor”, yet it has enough ominous vibes for Splendid to feel sick. He clears his throat and puts on his best Splendont impression as he answers. 

"What do you want?" 

"I'm sorry to call you during the day, Splendont, but I-"

"Get to the point," Splendid snaps.

"Y-Yes… I found traces of the neurotoxin that killed Splendid's Super Squad within the water sample, and I've started a culture with a few-"

Splendid physically feels himself pale the second the neurotoxin is mentioned, and suddenly the gravity of Splendont’s hatred for him comes crashing down on him. 

“They should be ready by tonight. Two vials as you requested-”

“We need to meet up right now.”

“Wh-What? But that’s far too soon. I don’t even have half a vial ready-”

“I don’t care, good Doctor! You will send me your location immediately and I’ll be there within the next hour or so, do you hear me?”

“Y-Yes, Splendont. I’ll have a vial ready for you then.” 

The Doctor hangs up without another word, and Splendid feels Flippy place a hand on his back. 

“What just happened?”

“I underestimated just how far Splendont was willing to go with this whole bet. We have to meet up with this Doctor before Splendont is resurrected-”

“We?”

Splendid turns around to face Flippy, who has his arms crossed over his chest and a skeptical look etched onto his features. 

“Look, I know we have a lot to talk about in terms of me presenting a false persona to you this whole time, but we don’t have the luxury of time to discuss any of that right this second. You have every right to still be mad at me, but I’m going to have to ask you to put those feelings on hold up until midnight. Until then, we have to get to this location the Doctor just texted me and back to a super proof shelter so Splendont doesn’t find us. We can have a proper conversation once we’re safe, alright?”

Flippy still looks skeptical, so Splendid takes a step closer to him while extending his hand towards him. 

"We're in this together; you made me promise that we’d work together to protect each other back when we were leaving the hospital, remember?”

Flippy's expression finally softs as Splendid recounts their promise, his eyes flickering between Splendid's face and the bloody hand extended towards him. He takes in a deep breath before letting out a defeated sigh and taking Splendid's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

"I remember."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like y'all to look at this lovely piece of [fanart](https://northerngrail.tumblr.com/post/638155867809775616/so-theres-this-fic-its-been-making-me-feel) that my lovely reader [gemini28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini28/pseuds/gemini28) drew for this fic. I can't thank them enough for the art.


End file.
